John,
I want to share a dream I had a few nights ago.
In my dream, I was at some sort of business standing at a counter about chest high. Opposite of me was a woman that I assume was an employee. I do not know what type of business it was, or what I was doing there.
The woman asked me for identification. I immediately pulled my wallet from my back pocket, took out my drivers license and set it on the counter. The woman looked down at it, then looked at me and shook her head, “no”.
I then started to take other documents from my wallet, spreading them out on the counter, one by one, which included my insurance card, my hunting and fishing license, credit cards, and even my library card. Every time I set a document on the counter in an attempt to identify myself, the woman shook her head, “no”.
I emptied my wallet of every possible document that could possibly identify who I was. Afterwards, I thought to myself, I have given her everything but my birth certificate and passport.
Then I awoke.
I had various thoughts about the dream throughout the day. Here are a few:
– My real identity cannot be found with any document that I carry in my wallet.
– The woman would not be satisfied with anything tangible.
– The spirit is the witness. The spirit in me testifies to who I am.
– Jesus said that a tree is known by its fruit.
– I believe this dream was an invitation for me (and perhaps others) to step up and allow the spirit to manifest itself through me by my testimony, and by living in that place beyond my own righteousness, as you have been pointing out from our Job readings.
Two nicely dressed Christian men came to my door today to talk about how necessary it is to read “the word of God”, the Bible. When they asked me if I believe that the Bible is the word of God, I told them no, but I do believe that it is the recorded word of God. I think that through them off.
That simple comment opened the door for me to talk about the holy Ghost, the new birth and the living word of God. One of them told me more than once that what I was saying was worth consideration, and even asked if they could come back another day.
I also gave them my testimony which is my true identification.
When they left, I felt grateful for the opportunity to talk to these two, well intended men about the living word of God.
Tom
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Sounds like my message last night.
That is a good dream, Tom! Our real identity is hidden from the world, as of now, because God has His children hidden in Jesus. As Paul said, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
Pastor John