One of the things about getting older is that the older you get, the more experience you have. Sometimes it is good experience, and sometimes it is less profitable experience. Regardless of the quality of your experience, with each and every day, we acquire more of it. After I passed a certain age and had gained a certain level of experience, people (mostly younger) began to seek out advice and counsel from me. I have been asked what the most important lesson I have learned over my years as a believer in Yeshua is. So I thought I would share that nugget of experience and knowledge with you.
G-D is the main character in the Bible. Too often in our reading and studying of the Bible, we forget that Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Esau, Moses, David, Solomon, Samson, Peter, Paul and John are all supporting characters in the greater narrative in which G-D is the only protagonist. You may be wondering why I consider this the most important lesson I have learned as a believer. It is because once we realize G-D is the one and only main character in the story, we will conclude that the Bible is a story about G-D and not about you and me.
In other words, just as Abraham, Moses, Sarah, Rebecca and the others are a part of the story, they are not what the story is about; the Bible is about G-D. Once we come to terms with this truth, then we are able to remove ourselves from the lead role and allow G-D to be the one and only star.
It is then that we realize life isn’t all about us. When we realize we are not the hero of the story, then we also realize that everyone really isn’t watching our every move. We are not responsible to be the be-all and end-all. When we rightly conclude that the story is not about us, but about Him, then all of the weight and burden of trying to be Him gets lifted off of our shoulders. When we stop trying to be Him, being us becomes so much easier and so much more peaceful. When we realize that our job is to let Him do His job within us, then becoming what He designed us to be becomes much less stressful. Life as a disciple becomes so much less problematic when we start being a disciple (follower) instead of always trying to be the leader.
Every other lesson that we as believers need to learn is easier to learn once we learn that we are not the stars of the story and that the story isn’t really all about us. That’s why the story begins with: “In the beginning, G-D,” not “In the beginning, you.” {eoa}
Rabbi Eric Tokajer has served the community of Brit Ahm Messianic Synagogue in Pensacola, Florida since 2006. In addition to serving at Brit Ahm, he also helped to establish six other Messianic synagogues along the United States, Gulf Coast. He is also a sought-after speaker for both national and international conferences and events, and has authored 12 books. In addition to his duties as a rabbi, he also serves on the board of several Messianic ministries and as the theology team facilitator for the Tree of Life Version Bible.
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