Last time we met I was talking about God, The Plan, and Spiderman and how bad things happen to good people. It's a question many people lose their faith over, and it's probably because people have off-handedly given a myriad of answers that are callous, careless, prejudice, ignorant, or just downright wrong. Should we awaken our hearts to the true character of God, asking for His truth and enlightenment on the questions we wrestle with, we'll know how and why things happen. But that's probably not a specific enough answer to cut your mustard (which is why you shouldn't take it from me, but go directly to the source and ask Him to help you understand).
If God has already given you some insight on this subject though, you are ready to take the next step: action. James 2:26 tells us that faith and understanding of God is meaningless without taking action. It's like the Dead Sea: the Jordan River feeds into the Dead Sea, but there are no outlets, so the water has nowhere to go. It stays where it is - stagnant, too salty for life to flourish...dead. That's what happens in us if we keep the Spirit of God pent up inside us. It's too powerful, and like a raging river of life feeding into a body of water with no outlet, our spirit will die. It's just not healthy to keep God's spirit inactive in our lives, clutching it close to our chest selfishly. Ok, totally off-the-wall analogy, but heck, even something as filthy as excrement needs an outlet. How nasty do you feel when you're constipated? It feels completely unnatural and unhealthy, doesn't it? So of course that begs the question, is your spirit constipated? Are you pooping more often than you're sharing your faith? Yeah, I went there...
And here is the paradox of learning about God: some people think they will attain a higher spirituality if they keep grasping for as much knowledge of God as they can - gorging themselves on Godly resources, reading their Bible like rabid Theologians, squawking the garbled mess of the latest debate topic, jockeying for position in the Kingdom. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way. Being a glutton for God-facts and God-knowledge without putting it to work is like buying a fleet of snow plows and just leaving them in the garage when the blizzard hits. When the snow storms of life drop a pile of cold mess on you, all those facts and all that head-knowledge can't dig you out. It's the heart-knowledge that keeps you sturdy and productive - head-to-heart, remember? Here's the best verse I've found yet that defines what I'm talking about - I ran across it yesterday in my visit with God:
"I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion or our disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love." (Galatians 5:4-6, MSG)
I could stop right there and let that verse speak for itself, but I've got itchy fingers now. In regards to religious striving vs. faith-filled action, it's important to dissect your soul and see your underlying power source. Are you drawing strength, confidence, and your identity as a believer through your encyclopedic knowledge of God, or are you drawing from who Christ is - His sovereign character, and who He says you are? Like our Pastor Steven Furtick was talking about in Part 1 of our current series "I Don't Know What I Believe," it's not necessarily about needing to rely on what I believe - sweating all the small stuff to make sure my theology is flawless - it's depending on whom I believe (2 Timothy 1:12). He will take care of the rest. The wise man built his house on the rock, remember? Hint: the rock is Jesus. The life He offers is sure, steady...proven. But the foolish man built his house on the sand. Hint: the sand is the things that diminish/overtake Jesus' rightful place in our lives, including an obsessive, unhealthy penchant for trying to figure God out, trying to get our understanding of God perfect before trusting Him.
Not to be a downer, but it's just another way we perplexingly complicate things by over-analyzing our relationship with God. There's a guy I work with who's about my age- he's handicapped by Asperger's Syndrome. He actually has an acute sense for details and an astounding memory, so he's always hungry for knowledge. Every time I see him, he spouts a barrage of questions about how God works and if I keep up with Pokemon much and if my hair was messy on purpose and if I have watched the installment of Godzilla that was made the year I was born...whew, it's fun wondering what he'll ask next. Just yesterday, he walked up to me and asked, as he often does, about God because he knows I'm a Christian. "So Shane, how do I keep from, you know, going to the 'bad place'?" I tried prying a bit more specificity out of him. "What do you mean?" He explained, "You know, how do I get on God's good side?" Many people, I would dare say the majority of the world's population, are wrestling with that same question in one way or another, whether they realize it or not. "Is God mad at me?"..."Is God toying with me?"..."There's no way I'm good enough for God to give me a second glance."..."I'm going to hell, I might as well live it up while I'm here." Fear, paranoia, feelings of inadequacy, resignation...all these and more infect the heart of humanity. I say infect because at the heart of humanity is a disease: we know we're fallen in some way or another, and we feel we are unlovable because of that brokenness. We feel like we're too much of a mess to clean up. We feel...undesirable by God.
The first answer that popped into my head was just as simple as the answer God intended to present through the Messiah Christ's life on earth: I told my friend, "Well man, it's as simple as this: Jesus said to love God and love other people." (Matthew 22:37-40) That's it? Yes! Isn't that good news?! You say, "It can't be that simple, Shane, what about all the other stuff God outlines in the Bible, the stuff He expects of us, like holiness and righteousness?" Remember, humanity is fallen and not yet restored (heaven), and the only way possible that we can be holy and righteous on this Earth is through the life and person of Christ within us, lived out through our daily lives and actions. Ah yes, back to actions. You didn't think I'd come back to that, did you? See, it all ties in together. Our Savior Jesus offers his righteousness to shine in and through us, therefore making us "righteous before God." Scripture tells us our own striving for righteousness - our striving to get God's approval, our straining to be "the best little Christian I can be" without Christ's righteousness being our soul's compass- that self-driven righteousness is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64)
"Say what?! So what's the point of trying to be righteous, Shane? I should just do what I feel is right, what's the difference if my righteousness is like filthy rags?" That's not the point. The point is this: no matter how "good" or "perfect" of a God-follower we try to be - no matter how moral or right-standing we are - we will never be perfect in this state of humanity...not until Christ returns again and establishes heaven (reread that Scripture from Galatians I typed out above). Perfection was not meant for this side of eternity. If it were, we would all have a shot at being gods, and some of us actually might achieve that. If that were a level to be attained, we would be chiseled gods - muscular, witty, wise, and at the pinnacle of the universe. Do you know anyone who is even close to this perfection?...even the ones who are closest to God, are they truly perfect? No, everyone sins and falls short of God (Romans 3:21-26) We are not God, and that is GREAT news! Can you imagine a world full of God-posers? Wow, that would be aweful. That's why there is only one God, and Jehovah is His name.
So...actions...here's what I'm getting at: since humanity is broken, as a whole and on an individual level, we are nothing more than...natural. We can't be anything more in and of ourselves. You ever hear that expression, "I'm special...just like everyone else." That always makes me laugh, but it's so true. Each of us has extraordinary ability and capability, but it only goes so far. There's a capacity to humanity. Our capability doesn't reach the stars...on our own. That's where God comes in. It's good news that we're not God, but when God takes His rightful place in our hearts and lives, something amazing happens: our potential is expanded exponentially. There is no limit to what God can do through a willing heart. Gifts and talents reach their full potential. Gutter-lives shift to become productive portraits of God's heart. Down-and-outers flourish into up-and-comers. Even "normal" people awaken to the handprint of God in their lives...and run into their purpose full-steam. It's not a smokescreen I'm throwing up here - I'm serious. It's not pipe-dream talk either. It's real, tangible living - the way God intended for life this side of heaven.
But it's important to note that you have to bring your natural so God can add His super. As my favorite duo Shane & Shane writes in their new album, "Bring your nothing." Remember God is a God of paradox - He can use your humble nothing better than He can use your selfish something. Look at nine out of ten superhero movies/books - when the protagonist is still a mere mortal with little to offer, there's always an event that transforms him into a hero. An oozing meteor that crashed from the depths of space, a radioactive spider that bites him, a nuclear fusion out of control. Something super has to enter the natural for the main character's purpose to hit its stride. So stop trying to bring stuff to God to impress Him - your masquerade of a perfect moral life is not getting His attention. It's the simplicity that makes Him smile - "Love God, love people." Action. God can't add His super if your natural is puffed up and selfish, swollen with your "I've finally arrived" attitude. There's no room for Him to work. The wood has already been whittled, the clay has already been shaped and set. Do yourself a favor and realize, "It can't be done." Super can't be achieved of my own strength - it takes more than me. It takes the only super we were designed to be inhabited by: God's super. Once you get it - really get it - you will realize that having superpowers is possible...just bring your natural to God's super and watch Him transform you.
"I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion or our disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love." (Galatians 5:4-6, MSG)
I could stop right there and let that verse speak for itself, but I've got itchy fingers now. In regards to religious striving vs. faith-filled action, it's important to dissect your soul and see your underlying power source. Are you drawing strength, confidence, and your identity as a believer through your encyclopedic knowledge of God, or are you drawing from who Christ is - His sovereign character, and who He says you are? Like our Pastor Steven Furtick was talking about in Part 1 of our current series "I Don't Know What I Believe," it's not necessarily about needing to rely on what I believe - sweating all the small stuff to make sure my theology is flawless - it's depending on whom I believe (2 Timothy 1:12). He will take care of the rest. The wise man built his house on the rock, remember? Hint: the rock is Jesus. The life He offers is sure, steady...proven. But the foolish man built his house on the sand. Hint: the sand is the things that diminish/overtake Jesus' rightful place in our lives, including an obsessive, unhealthy penchant for trying to figure God out, trying to get our understanding of God perfect before trusting Him.
Not to be a downer, but it's just another way we perplexingly complicate things by over-analyzing our relationship with God. There's a guy I work with who's about my age- he's handicapped by Asperger's Syndrome. He actually has an acute sense for details and an astounding memory, so he's always hungry for knowledge. Every time I see him, he spouts a barrage of questions about how God works and if I keep up with Pokemon much and if my hair was messy on purpose and if I have watched the installment of Godzilla that was made the year I was born...whew, it's fun wondering what he'll ask next. Just yesterday, he walked up to me and asked, as he often does, about God because he knows I'm a Christian. "So Shane, how do I keep from, you know, going to the 'bad place'?" I tried prying a bit more specificity out of him. "What do you mean?" He explained, "You know, how do I get on God's good side?" Many people, I would dare say the majority of the world's population, are wrestling with that same question in one way or another, whether they realize it or not. "Is God mad at me?"..."Is God toying with me?"..."There's no way I'm good enough for God to give me a second glance."..."I'm going to hell, I might as well live it up while I'm here." Fear, paranoia, feelings of inadequacy, resignation...all these and more infect the heart of humanity. I say infect because at the heart of humanity is a disease: we know we're fallen in some way or another, and we feel we are unlovable because of that brokenness. We feel like we're too much of a mess to clean up. We feel...undesirable by God.
The first answer that popped into my head was just as simple as the answer God intended to present through the Messiah Christ's life on earth: I told my friend, "Well man, it's as simple as this: Jesus said to love God and love other people." (Matthew 22:37-40) That's it? Yes! Isn't that good news?! You say, "It can't be that simple, Shane, what about all the other stuff God outlines in the Bible, the stuff He expects of us, like holiness and righteousness?" Remember, humanity is fallen and not yet restored (heaven), and the only way possible that we can be holy and righteous on this Earth is through the life and person of Christ within us, lived out through our daily lives and actions. Ah yes, back to actions. You didn't think I'd come back to that, did you? See, it all ties in together. Our Savior Jesus offers his righteousness to shine in and through us, therefore making us "righteous before God." Scripture tells us our own striving for righteousness - our striving to get God's approval, our straining to be "the best little Christian I can be" without Christ's righteousness being our soul's compass- that self-driven righteousness is like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64)
"Say what?! So what's the point of trying to be righteous, Shane? I should just do what I feel is right, what's the difference if my righteousness is like filthy rags?" That's not the point. The point is this: no matter how "good" or "perfect" of a God-follower we try to be - no matter how moral or right-standing we are - we will never be perfect in this state of humanity...not until Christ returns again and establishes heaven (reread that Scripture from Galatians I typed out above). Perfection was not meant for this side of eternity. If it were, we would all have a shot at being gods, and some of us actually might achieve that. If that were a level to be attained, we would be chiseled gods - muscular, witty, wise, and at the pinnacle of the universe. Do you know anyone who is even close to this perfection?...even the ones who are closest to God, are they truly perfect? No, everyone sins and falls short of God (Romans 3:21-26) We are not God, and that is GREAT news! Can you imagine a world full of God-posers? Wow, that would be aweful. That's why there is only one God, and Jehovah is His name.
So...actions...here's what I'm getting at: since humanity is broken, as a whole and on an individual level, we are nothing more than...natural. We can't be anything more in and of ourselves. You ever hear that expression, "I'm special...just like everyone else." That always makes me laugh, but it's so true. Each of us has extraordinary ability and capability, but it only goes so far. There's a capacity to humanity. Our capability doesn't reach the stars...on our own. That's where God comes in. It's good news that we're not God, but when God takes His rightful place in our hearts and lives, something amazing happens: our potential is expanded exponentially. There is no limit to what God can do through a willing heart. Gifts and talents reach their full potential. Gutter-lives shift to become productive portraits of God's heart. Down-and-outers flourish into up-and-comers. Even "normal" people awaken to the handprint of God in their lives...and run into their purpose full-steam. It's not a smokescreen I'm throwing up here - I'm serious. It's not pipe-dream talk either. It's real, tangible living - the way God intended for life this side of heaven.
But it's important to note that you have to bring your natural so God can add His super. As my favorite duo Shane & Shane writes in their new album, "Bring your nothing." Remember God is a God of paradox - He can use your humble nothing better than He can use your selfish something. Look at nine out of ten superhero movies/books - when the protagonist is still a mere mortal with little to offer, there's always an event that transforms him into a hero. An oozing meteor that crashed from the depths of space, a radioactive spider that bites him, a nuclear fusion out of control. Something super has to enter the natural for the main character's purpose to hit its stride. So stop trying to bring stuff to God to impress Him - your masquerade of a perfect moral life is not getting His attention. It's the simplicity that makes Him smile - "Love God, love people." Action. God can't add His super if your natural is puffed up and selfish, swollen with your "I've finally arrived" attitude. There's no room for Him to work. The wood has already been whittled, the clay has already been shaped and set. Do yourself a favor and realize, "It can't be done." Super can't be achieved of my own strength - it takes more than me. It takes the only super we were designed to be inhabited by: God's super. Once you get it - really get it - you will realize that having superpowers is possible...just bring your natural to God's super and watch Him transform you.
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