One of the most visited daydream topics I have in my little noggin is this: the various ways I go about over-analyzing my relationship with God. Oh yeah, don't pretend to be so innocent, you've over-complicated God plenty-o-times, even if you're not a Christian...especially if you're not a Christian.
It seems the entire world, at one point or another, has gotten God all wrong. We stress and strain to understand how to please Him, what His will is, how to "be good." All with good intentions, mind you. We don't mean to make it complicated, but it does get pretty...hairy...doesn't it? Next thing you know, you're more anxious about God-stuff than you were when God was on the back-burner. Predicament? Yes. But is it meant to be?
...Nope.
You think God's plan in drawing you to Himself was to confuse the dickens out of you? To wear you down? To make you stressed about spirituality? What the heck kind of God are you imagining? I say imagining because that's not Jehovah God. He's not a gear-grinding, bait-and-switch kind of God, wringing His hands with sadistic delight as he cackles fiendishly in a dark alley somewhere. Alas, so many of us see Him as this villain, whether we realize it or not. Oh that He would open our eyes to the ways we undercut His character and sell Him short.
Contrary to popular opinion, He's a loving God - greater than all our fears and worries, He's biting at the bit to draw close to us, even when we over-analyze this roller coaster ride called life. We huff and puff and get all worked up on how we should live, what God "expects" of us, what we should and should not do, and all the while God is offering life...REAL LIFE. And all we have to do is draw close to Him (James 4:8). The Jews in the time of Jesus thought they had God all figured out - look up the Talmud. They added to Moses' book of the law God gave him, thinking they could attain righteousness by following all these crazy laws that no human could ever live up to. Really? How's that workin' for ya? All the moral strivings, all the wasted effort, all the spiritual hernias...they wouldn't accept the fact that Jesus came to fulfill the law, as He said, meaning that the law God gave to Moses on the mountain all those years ago was complete in Jesus (Mt. 5:17-18). It's a fragile concept, so let me delicately unpack it a bit:
Have you ever taken a good look at the law of the Old Testament? I'm not just talking about the 10 Commandments, I'm talking about Leviticus kind of stuff here, the ridiculous stuff! Check it out. And hey, many people have walked away from Christianity because they thought the law of Moses was something to live up to. Given, the basics of God's heart are obvious in the law - things like murder and stealing and such are not up for debate as going against God's grain. But the other, like, 76% of the law passed down to the Israelites in the wilderness sounded downright silly! I mean, all the offerings, the very specific preparations for the sacrifices, the ceremonies, the do's and don'ts...some are understandable and for the good of the people's spirits, but most just sound petty and demanding! Kinda has the same feel as when a band sends a rider to an upcoming venue's event coordinator, listing all these ridiculous demands (only green M&M's, cases of water at room temperature, etc.) Was God trying to be a narcissistic rock star? Far from it.
A lot of the first 5 books of the Old Testament feels like God's giving the Israelites a rider, but in reality, God's main purposes were two-fold: 1) The Israelites were fresh out of slavery for over 400 years, so they were pretty unfamiliar with all that's involved in being a free nation, especially when it came to governing standards and spiritual standards. They were like a newborn in a big scary world, and God was Fathering them, so He laid down healthy parameters so they wouldn't wander any more than they needed (they did plenty of wandering as it were, trust me). Just as a good parent has disciplines for the family, God saw that His chosen nation needed a system of order to keep them from falling apart at the seems. 2) Here's where we come in: for both the Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews), the law is ultimately one thing - a list of impossible demands. Ahem...what?! Shane, you're going to hell for that one. Nope, hear me out. That was God's plan all along. Sure, a good bit of those laws were for the people's spiritual formations, but He knew all those other silly rules and regulations were burdensome. That's the point: God's plan was to make the Israelites realize that after all those years of trying to live up to the law, straining to follow every detail of every last rule to gain God's approval, it cannot be humanly done. It's an impossible undertaking, and those who try end up killing their heart. Why would God put such a plate before them? To make them realize their need for a Savior, a divine substitute for all their sacrificing and striving and straining to grow close to God. That's where Jesus comes on the scene, and that was God's plan all along.
"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: 'Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.' Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly...'Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.'"(Matthew 11:25-27a, 28-30)
Make sense? We can't make it on our own, and it gets so burdensome when we make Christianity about "living right" or "being good" or "being everything God commands us to be." Wow, how legalistic is all of that? Sounds like the law to me, and thank God He sent His son to represent and redeem what I could not live up to. Accepting Jesus is basically saying, "God, it's pretty obvious I can't live up to any standard of perfection...no one can...it's impossible. I need a solution. I need Your solution." Remember the Scripture I quoted a while back? "God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." He's the solution. He's come to bring life, and life to the full, remember? That's the gospel, the good news for all - we can't live good enough to appease a holy God, but Jesus' perfect life and sacrifice stood in the place of our frailty and made a way to God the Father. No more sacrifices, no more song-and-dance for God's approval. He's as close as the breath in your lungs right now, and He's waiting for you to give it up and come to Him. More on this soon to come in part 2...
You think God's plan in drawing you to Himself was to confuse the dickens out of you? To wear you down? To make you stressed about spirituality? What the heck kind of God are you imagining? I say imagining because that's not Jehovah God. He's not a gear-grinding, bait-and-switch kind of God, wringing His hands with sadistic delight as he cackles fiendishly in a dark alley somewhere. Alas, so many of us see Him as this villain, whether we realize it or not. Oh that He would open our eyes to the ways we undercut His character and sell Him short.
Contrary to popular opinion, He's a loving God - greater than all our fears and worries, He's biting at the bit to draw close to us, even when we over-analyze this roller coaster ride called life. We huff and puff and get all worked up on how we should live, what God "expects" of us, what we should and should not do, and all the while God is offering life...REAL LIFE. And all we have to do is draw close to Him (James 4:8). The Jews in the time of Jesus thought they had God all figured out - look up the Talmud. They added to Moses' book of the law God gave him, thinking they could attain righteousness by following all these crazy laws that no human could ever live up to. Really? How's that workin' for ya? All the moral strivings, all the wasted effort, all the spiritual hernias...they wouldn't accept the fact that Jesus came to fulfill the law, as He said, meaning that the law God gave to Moses on the mountain all those years ago was complete in Jesus (Mt. 5:17-18). It's a fragile concept, so let me delicately unpack it a bit:
Have you ever taken a good look at the law of the Old Testament? I'm not just talking about the 10 Commandments, I'm talking about Leviticus kind of stuff here, the ridiculous stuff! Check it out. And hey, many people have walked away from Christianity because they thought the law of Moses was something to live up to. Given, the basics of God's heart are obvious in the law - things like murder and stealing and such are not up for debate as going against God's grain. But the other, like, 76% of the law passed down to the Israelites in the wilderness sounded downright silly! I mean, all the offerings, the very specific preparations for the sacrifices, the ceremonies, the do's and don'ts...some are understandable and for the good of the people's spirits, but most just sound petty and demanding! Kinda has the same feel as when a band sends a rider to an upcoming venue's event coordinator, listing all these ridiculous demands (only green M&M's, cases of water at room temperature, etc.) Was God trying to be a narcissistic rock star? Far from it.
A lot of the first 5 books of the Old Testament feels like God's giving the Israelites a rider, but in reality, God's main purposes were two-fold: 1) The Israelites were fresh out of slavery for over 400 years, so they were pretty unfamiliar with all that's involved in being a free nation, especially when it came to governing standards and spiritual standards. They were like a newborn in a big scary world, and God was Fathering them, so He laid down healthy parameters so they wouldn't wander any more than they needed (they did plenty of wandering as it were, trust me). Just as a good parent has disciplines for the family, God saw that His chosen nation needed a system of order to keep them from falling apart at the seems. 2) Here's where we come in: for both the Jews and the Gentiles (non-Jews), the law is ultimately one thing - a list of impossible demands. Ahem...what?! Shane, you're going to hell for that one. Nope, hear me out. That was God's plan all along. Sure, a good bit of those laws were for the people's spiritual formations, but He knew all those other silly rules and regulations were burdensome. That's the point: God's plan was to make the Israelites realize that after all those years of trying to live up to the law, straining to follow every detail of every last rule to gain God's approval, it cannot be humanly done. It's an impossible undertaking, and those who try end up killing their heart. Why would God put such a plate before them? To make them realize their need for a Savior, a divine substitute for all their sacrificing and striving and straining to grow close to God. That's where Jesus comes on the scene, and that was God's plan all along.
"Abruptly Jesus broke into prayer: 'Thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. You’ve concealed your ways from sophisticates and know-it-alls, but spelled them out clearly to ordinary people. Yes, Father, that’s the way you like to work.' Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly...'Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.'"(Matthew 11:25-27a, 28-30)
Make sense? We can't make it on our own, and it gets so burdensome when we make Christianity about "living right" or "being good" or "being everything God commands us to be." Wow, how legalistic is all of that? Sounds like the law to me, and thank God He sent His son to represent and redeem what I could not live up to. Accepting Jesus is basically saying, "God, it's pretty obvious I can't live up to any standard of perfection...no one can...it's impossible. I need a solution. I need Your solution." Remember the Scripture I quoted a while back? "God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." He's the solution. He's come to bring life, and life to the full, remember? That's the gospel, the good news for all - we can't live good enough to appease a holy God, but Jesus' perfect life and sacrifice stood in the place of our frailty and made a way to God the Father. No more sacrifices, no more song-and-dance for God's approval. He's as close as the breath in your lungs right now, and He's waiting for you to give it up and come to Him. More on this soon to come in part 2...
Good stuff, chappie! I like it. We all need to be reminded of this now and then... God doesn't expect us to be perfect so why do people try so hard to be? It will never happen! :) love ya -M
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