R3: radical, revolutionary, different

As we get ready to move into 2008, something occurs to me - we need to jealously protect our relationship with God.  The Bible often talks about how God is a “jealous” God.  That’s not because he’s insecure or needy.  But because God knows what’s best for us.  After all, he’s the one who designed us!

God knows that when we worship other things, other idols, we are moving in the wrong direction.  We’re moving towards a place that God never intended us to go.  That’s why he’s jealous – because he wants to keep us to live our lives to their fullest potential.

I think the same applies to us: we need to be jealous of our relationship with him.  Not because we are insecure (although we are) or needy (although we are that too), but because our bond with God can be so easily severed by sin.

That’s not to suggest God moves away from us, because he doesn’t.  In fact the opposite is true.  Sin moves us away from him.  And the further away we move the harder, and more painful, it can be to find our way back.  That’s the true nature of sin - it literally separates us from God.

So as you enter 2008 consider this: keep God close to your heart and don’t let anything separate you.

I find Christmas to be a fascinating holiday.  Not because I like to get a lot of presents.  Although I do!  Instead, I think it’s interesting watching how people get so caught up in all the things that there are to do before Christmas Day.  I’m sure we can all think of examples of that business.  All we have to do is go to any busy intersection and count how many people look angry in their cars.  Or go to a store and watch people shoulder their ways toward the nearest deals.

Why is that?  What is it about this time of year that we get so self absorbed?  We get crazy and worked up as we pursue gifts for other people.  And it seems that no matter who you are, we are all affected like this.  Of course no one wants to be stuck in traffic or lines or anything else.

Somewhere along the way we’ve come to believe we deserve better.  That we deserve that spot at the stop light.  That we deserve the last gift on the shelf.  But do we really?  Do we somehow deserve these things?  I’m afraid we don’t.  We’re all tainted by sin, and therefore we all are unworthy. Or in other words, we don’t actually deserve any of those things.

That’s why God is so shocking.  If there was ever anyone who didn’t deserve to have to go through of this grief it would be him.  Instead, he chose to suffer, simply to show us how much he loves us.

The one thing that separates Christianity from all other religions is that we don’t have to do anything to earn this love.  God came to this planet not because we earned it, or deserved it, but because he loved us. He sacrificed himself so that we would be able to know who he really was.

That’s the greatest gift any of us could receive. And at the risk of sounding cheesy - that’s what Christmas is really about.

This isn’t to say you should feel guilty for getting Christmas presents, or celebrating on Christmas day.  In fact, God wants you to have nice things, and he wants you to receive gifts.  God is a radically generous God.  So when you wake up on Christmas morning and you are surrounded by all your new things, don’t feel guilty, just remember the sacrifice God made for us.  Just remember that no matter how nice the gifts you receive (or give) they are nothing compared to what God offers to us.  And maybe with that in mind, we won’t mind it when we’re cut off in traffic, or don’t get the exact item we wanted at the store.

I am convinced that bad drivers are stalking me. No matter where I am, somehow, I end up surrounded by people who shouldn’t be allowed to operate model cars, let alone motorized vehicles. It makes me wonder what the DMV is up to!

Take today for instance. On my way home I ended up behind a taxi (you know this isn’t going to end well!). At the first light the taxi stopped 2 car lengths before the light. At the next light, he decided to change tactics and stop one car length into the intersection! Between the lights he slowed down to a leisurely 25 mph in a 35 mph zone. Apparently he was sight seeing…

The final straw was the fact his meandering ways made me sit at 3 extra lights. If I had sped around him I would have made those lights. But I knew that was reckless, so I just let my anger bubble while I sat behind the guy trying to will him to drive the speed limit.

Let me tell you, no matter how much I used my “mental powers” to make him move faster, it didn’t work. Fortunately I had a left turn to make, which would allow me to escape the cab’s obviously evil clutches. Escape I did. Unfortunately another yahoo on up the road had conveniently pulled 1/3 of the way into my lane while trying to make a turn.

I was so ticked off that I swerved around him. Looking in my rear view mirror I made my “where did you learn to drive, ya idiot!” expression. The whole time thinking, “who pulls into oncoming traffic like that?! What is wrong with people?!”

I returned my attention to the road with just enough time to avoid rear ending the guy in front of me, who had stopped at the next light.

… …

Somewhere along the way I had become that lunatic. I had become the guy who had no business driving. Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what other people are doing or saying that we not only ignore our own behavior, but it can actually make us do the wrong thing. If I had been focusing on the road, and not worrying about other people’s driving habits, I never would have been in that situation.

God talks a lot about how we should treat other people. And we often think it’s only for their benefit. But that’s not true at all. Sometimes the reason we extend grace and love to other people, is so we stay focused on the road and avoid our own accidents.

“For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)

I understand this.  There is something that is hard to ‘contain’ when you’ve truly encountered God.  I get giddy (yes, not very manly…) and excited when I talk about God.  It’s hard for me to stop.  In fact, anytime I can talk about him I want to!  But how do you know when to bring up God to other people, especially when they don’t believe?  Can’t you come across as overbearing and turn people away from what you have to say?  Where is that line between enthusiasm, and letting things “slide”?  How about you?  If you’re a Christian, how do you share your faith with others?  Or if you’re not a Christian, how do you feel when someone starts talking about God to you?

“Why didn’t anyone tell me CS Lewis was brilliant?!”

That’s pretty much what I think when I pick up one of his books.  I’ve gone my entire life not understanding what people saw in this CS Lewis guy.  I had read the Chronicles of Narnia and enjoyed them.  But even as a kid I knew they were “simplistic.”  I could never quite figure out why he held such appeal for Christians. To be honest I thought they were latching onto the guy because he was famous.  Little did I know how wrong I was!

Mere Christianity is my second book by Lewis.  And I now fully understand why he’s been important to so many Christians.  Lewis is a master of words, and is able to explain complex Christian theology in a simple and relate-able way.  Every sentence in this book is packed with importance and significance. 

The title of the book is a bit confusing to the modern ear.  And until I started to read the book, I didn’t fully understand what that title was trying to convey.  In essence he really wrote a book that could be called ’simple’ or ‘basic’ Christianity.  In a way this is God 101.  But don’t let that fool you, there is more information packed into this book than most dense academic works.

Mere Christianity is broken into 4 sections.  Each dealing with an aspect of what it means to come into a relationship with God.  In section one he outlines some clues to the existence of God.  Section two discusses what Christians really believe.  Followed by how Christians should behave, and what it means to be a Christian.  The fourth section, which is probably his most ambitious, is an attempt to explain who God is - namely the Trinity (Jesus, God, the Holy Ghost).

Very few writers are more quotable than Lewis.  But that’s not the most striking part of Mere Christianity.  Lewis is a master at using examples to explain his points.  He has a way of taking a complex concept (e.g., the Trinity) and giving simple explanations that really crystallize the concepts for the reader.

Lewis holds a special place for me, because he’s one of those writers that disproves the idea that to believe in God you need to turn off your brain.  As I explore his writings I continue to realize that God wants us to use our brains as much as our hearts. 

Life can be tough.  I don’t think I’m surprising anyone with that little bit of insight.  It can be easy to give up.  Some tasks seem so daunting, so overwhelming, that we can’t imagine finishing them, let alone surviving them.  “How do we keep moving forward against those odds?” we ask ourselves.  I admit, it’s mornings like that which make it difficult to get out of bed!

Too many mornings like that and we begin to wonder if “it” (whatever “it” may be) is worth the trouble.  We ask ourselves, “who am I to do this?”

But in the midst of our suffering, I believe there is hope.  And I believe that hope comes directly from God.  Psalm 66 tells us, “For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.  You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.  You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.” (v.10-12)

There are times when God lets us go through trouble.  But there is a reason why.  God is not a god of pointlessness. 

We are tested so we can be refined.   We are given burdens so we can become strong.  And we can hope in God precisely because we know we’re not doing something that is pointless.

Some days it’s just hard to be excited about God.  We wake up and it’s raining outside, or we’re feeling depressed or overwhelmed, or we’re facing a major tragedy.  Or worse yet, our fantasy football team just got crushed for yet another week.  In fact there are far too many days that I find it difficult to be excited by God.  Intellectually I want to worship him, but emotionally I just can’t seem to drag myself out of my rut.  I feel tired and I think I lack the energy I need to take another step. 

This is usually where I want to give up, or at least take some time off.  Sometimes I say, “God won’t really notice.”  Or, “I deserve this, I’ve been faithful!”  Of course neither of these are actually true.  And if I am really honest about it, the challenges in my life are often totally insignificant in the overall scheme of things.  There are billions of people who have it far worse than I do.  One of these people happened to be David, King of Israel  You know, of David and Goliath fame. 

David had this knack of always finding himself in trouble.  His life was characterized by people wanting to kill him!  I have yet to face a single death threat, so I think he probably had a few more things to worry about than I do.  And yet what do I find David doing in the midst of yet another assassination attempt?  Praising God.

That’s right, he was actively praising God despite his circumstances.  I’m really struck by the words he uses in Psalm 71 to describe his actions.  He doesn’t say, “I’m thinking about worshiping you” or “sometimes I will praise you.”  He says, “I will praise you more and more” (v. 14), “I will proclaim your mighty acts” (v. 16), “I declare your marvelous deeds” (v. 17), “my lips will shout for joy” (v23).

Proclaim.  Declare.  Shout.  Those are all active words.  David may have been suffering.  He may have been heartbroken by more people wanting him dead.  (You know that has to mess with your self esteem after a while…)  But through it all, and to his core, he actively praised God. 

God is worthy of our praise no matter what’s going on in our lives.  We shouldn’t hold back from telling people how awesome he is no matter what we feel like. 

God – You are so awesome that sometimes I forget just what you’ve done for me.  I know my heart is often fickle and I’m easily distracted, but you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I am so grateful for you!

The Golden Compass is set to hit theaters this weekend to much fanfare.  And it’s not just Hollywood Hype that’s driving this movie’s appeal.  If you follow the news at all you’ve probably heard that many Christian groups are encouraging people to avoid this movie. In a way that’s understandable.  You see, the whole point of The Golden Compass (and the two following books) is to debunk Christianity.  The author of the books, Philip Pullman has said as much in various interviews.

Well I’m going to suggest something different.  I say if you are interested in this movie, you should go watch it.

We are not, in any way, helped by avoiding things of this nature.  There are three good reasons why:

1.  Christianity has withstood centuries of literal, physical, attack from groups throughout history (e.g., Romans, Communists, Barney the Dinosaur – okay, maybe not Barney).  Christianity has done quite well in these cultures.  So I think God will be able to handle a Hollywood movie.  

2.  But more than that, God wants us to ask questions, because questions deepen our faith.  Every question I’ve had about Christianity has ultimately strengthened my faith.  When I search for an answer, I find that something amazing happens: I move closer to God.  Not because I’m talking myself into something, but because God is always willing to give us proof of who he is.  Because of this, I’ve found an answer to virtually every question I’ve ever asked.  Even when I don’t find a perfect answer, I’ve learned that there is an answer out there, I just don’t know it!  God wants us to know him, and the only way we can really do that is to engage our brains along with our hearts.

3.  Those of you who consider yourself Christians already, ask yourself this, “how do you intelligently discuss a movie you’ve never seen?”  How do you help your friends understand how God differs in real life from the god of The Golden Compass if you’ve never seen it?

I consider the Da Vinci Code one of the greatest opportunities Christians have had to share their faith.  What better way to enter a discussion about God then when someone comments on him!  I wonder how many opportunities were lost because people refused to watch a (mostly bad) movie.

So I say if you want to watch The Golden Compass go for it.  If you aren’t a Christian ask yourself “what questions do I have?” and “Does the movie accurately represent who God is?”  Then search for answers.  If you are a Christian, go see it so you can talk intelligently about it when someone you know brings it up.  And maybe you can help someone find those answers. 

Today I was going to write about faith and reason.  But I’ve changed my mind because I realized something this week.  I realized that I’ve become comfortable with my faith.  My trust in God has slowly been turning to religiosity in God.

There was a time where I would have happily sacrificed anything for God, because the memory of him saving me was so strong.  But over the last year that’s dimmed a bit.  I’ve developed theological ideas.  I’ve come to conclusions about who God is and what he wants from me.  I’ve become comfortable with my level of generosity.

I don’t think any of those things are bad in and of themselves.  But they are causing me to fear talking to him about things.  I don’t want to hear answers that may challenge my beliefs.  I don’t want to be bothered with changing my life - I’m comfortable now.

But that’s not how God works.  We have to give him our all.  We can’t hold anything back, because if we do it hurts our relationship with him.

To be honest I don’t know what all this means.  I just know, with God’s help, I have to become open to everything he has to say.  No matter how uncomfortable that makes me.

It’s scary to stand before God knowing you’ve been hiding.  It must have been that way for Elijah when he ran away from his job and hid in a cave.  God had to actually go into the cave and call out to Elijah saying, “What are you doing here?”  I’m sure God has been doing that to me, and I have just had my fingers plugged in my ears!

“She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’” (Mark 5: 26-28)

I’ve seen this passage several times over the years and always thought of it as “just another miracle.”  But one day something new occurred to me: this woman rejected the logic of the world, for the reason of God.  She turned her back on common sense, and took a radical and dangerous step (being socially “unclean” as this woman was, and touching a “clean” man was a major deal, and she could have been in big trouble with the religious police).

The smart thing to do would be to continue with her treatments.  Even though the doctors had failed to heal her, at least she was trying something.  At least she was doing something.  But this woman recognized a truth that most people that day were missing.  She realized that there was something more to this world.  She knew there was something special about this Jesus guy.  She knew that doing exactly what the world prescribed to heal her was the worst course of action she could take. 

So she came up with this idea that if she just touched him, somehow brushed against him, that would be all she would need to be healed.

Think about that for a moment.  That’s completely ridiculous.  If all of the world’s medicine wasn’t helping, why would touching some guy?  But it did, and she was healed!  It wasn’t until she did this radical thing - trusting in Jesus - that she was finally cured.  Her faith, something not of this world, saved her.

How often do we follow the “common sense” path, even though it leads us to death?  How often do we latch onto an idea and refuse to let go, even when it’s painfully obvious that it’s not working?  Sometimes we need to make a radical decision.  Sometimes we need to be revolutionary in our approach, because what the world is telling us to do just isn’t working.