Sunday, November 14
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
—John 8:32
NIV
The film The Matrix touched a nerve for many people. It made more than $171 million in the U.S., $460 million worldwide, and was the first DVD ever to sell more than 3 million copies. Books have been written on the spiritual aspects of the film and its intriguing notion that our world is an illusion that veils a whole other dimension of reality.
Recently I was reading through some of the most popular quotes from the film and began noticing how they raise some interesting questions related to my own faith in God. Here are a few of those quotes from the film and corresponding thoughts to consider.
You may have spent the last two years looking for me, but I have spent my entire life looking for you. Now, do you still want to meet?
We tend to think of ourselves as searching for or seeking after God, maybe God seeks after us much more.
The answer is out there, it's looking for you. And it will find you if you want it to.
Maybe our greatest need for life in God is remaining open, attentive, and responsive to God’s initiative.
You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain; but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life. There's something wrong in the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there like a splinter in your mind driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me.
Could it be that deep down we know that God is love, that we need not fear, and that we can be free? Maybe the reason something inside you says, “There’s got to be more to it than this” is because…there is.
There's nothing I can say that will explain it for you, come, see for yourself.
We are prone to dependency on someone or something to mediate the reality of God for us, but God desires us to know him directly, personally and intimately, and has placed his life within us to make this possible.
Sooner or later, you're going to realize just as I did, there's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.
Life in God is not a theoretical notion, but a present living reality.
As long as the human race exists, the human race will never be free.
The information on our birth certificate does not adequately identify who we are. We are born of God, citizens of his kingdom—his beloved sons and daughters. The only thing left is claiming and experiencing this identity for ourselves.
“What are you trying to tell me, that I can dodge bullets?” “No. I'm trying to tell you that when you're ready, you won't have to.”Maybe we are just scratching the surface of what it means for Christ to live his life in and through us.
God, help me believe the truth that sets me free.
These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2006.
