Fellowship

As I dwelled more into thinking about "canned" (see the last post) answers. God brought these to my mind.

I noticed quite a few (or many) intances when I asked my kids for thanksgiving they will normally say "I thank God because he is faithful". Yeah I mean that is correct and theologically sound but don't you think its still surface, head knowledge? I had enough of the standard questions and replies. I call that "canned". I don't understand why when asked a question they "repeat" to me the character of God (which they did a good job of learning) BUT when probed more into why they said what they said, they took so long to think. I mean shouldn't they have already thought about that before they answer?

Its like memorising memory verses for the sake of memorising. In doing so we forgot that the memorising will not change us unless we apply the truths we have memorised into our lives. The accumulation of knowledge will do you nothing unless you apply it. I guess from now on, I should encourage everyone I talk to, to share their applied knowledge. I guess that would it would make sharings more fruitful and honest.

I'm begining to feel sorry for my kids. I think they are always very stressed when I talk to them because they know that they cannot escape. Hahs sorry guys but I guess that SHOULD be the way. This is the essence of fellowship. Don't you know that even when two or three are gathered, it still wouldn't be called fellowship unless God is the midst of the exchange?

I also noticed another thing, like in church why do we ask "how are you?" when we don't expect a reply? See the irony? Well, this is only one of the many example of prescribed or "canned" questions we throw at people. We become so professional in doing so that the words had lost their meaning. I guess everybody is gulity of this, I even witnessed Pastor David Lim doing it to me. No one is free from it. And I tought that this is actually quite common. More often in fast paced circles. Everything is PR.

What Joseph said is correct, this is "just a perfunctory greeting." Or rather this have grown to be a perfunctory greeting. As I dived deeper into that thought, God got me to realise this; because it has became a culture for us to say that in our physical world, have we used the same perfunctory greeting towards God?

Suddenly this alarming question dawned on me. Where am I when God called me? Did I used too the "Hi, how are you" thing on God? Has the word "fellowship" lost its meaning for me too?

The more busy we are, the more "still" before God we must get. For it is in Him, He promised to give us rest. For it is in him, we learn what is the meaning of fellowship. Our attitude towards people is a display of our attitude towards God.