R3: radical, revolutionary, different

If you ask an athlete about a game, they will almost always tell you about the shot they missed, the tackle they could have had, the putt they should have sunk.  Of course you don’t need to be an athlete to think this way.  When you go into work what do you think of?  The things you should have finished?  The account you should have landed?  I bet very few of us focus on the positives.  Even fewer live wide awake.

We live in a culture that emphasizes failure.  I don’t know if this has always been the case or if this is some recent development.  But whatever the case, we live in a world obsessed with failure.  

It’s true in our professional lives.  It’s true in our personal lives.  And this attitude is true in our relationship with God.  We focus on our short comings:  How we could have been more generous.  How we shouldn’t have yelled at our kids.  How we knew what we were doing was wrong, yet we didn’t stop.  We focus on all of the mistakes we make.   

But is this how we are supposed to live?   

Most of us have fallen for the performance plan view of God.  We think God is carefully taking note of our failures.  That he’s just waiting around the corner to whack us with them.  “If Santa makes a list, what does God do?” we wonder.  Instead of experiencing God’s grace, we find ourselves overwhelmed with guilt.

Yet that’s not the God of the Bible.  While God is never thrilled we’re sinning, it’s not our sin that destroys our relationship with him.  It’s something else… 

There once was a father and son who believed in God.  The father was a murderer, adulterer, he was even negligent of his family.  The son on the other hand never killed anyone, never had an affair, and always seemed to have his family in mind.

Yet God turned away from the son and not the father.  Why?

Because no matter how many horrible things David did, he always maintained his relationship with God.  He never rejected that relationship.  Solomon on the other hand, despite all his wisdom, began to worship other Gods. 

“As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.  He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech [a] the detestable god of the Ammonites.  So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the LORD; he did not follow the LORD completely, as David his father had done.”               (1 Kings 11: 4-6)

David’s failure didn’t drive God away.  No matter how many mistakes he made, God always remained with David.  Solomon, on the other hand, despite all his wisdom found God as an enemy.  It wasn’t his failures that caused it – it was his choice to believe in other gods that ended things. 

So why do we still believe our behavior is what matters to God?   Why do we focus all our energy on our failures, and spend so little time focusing on re-building our relationship with God?

David did many horrible things.  Yet he was described as, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13: 22).  Despite his actions, despite his failure, he built a lasting relationship with God.  Isn’t that the model that we should work towards?  Shouldn’t we stop focusing on failures and spend all that energy of doubt, fear, anger, worry towards re-energizing our relationship with God?

We need to live out a life of faith, not live a life in fear of failure. 

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“Evil can be undone, but it can not ‘develop’ into good.  Time does not heal it.”       – CS Lewis, The Great Divorce

The truth is, not even God changes evil into good.  Once something happens it can’t be taken back.  Instead, he changes the meaning of evil. 

2,000 years ago we did the worst evil possible – we killed a man who had never done anything wrong.  A man who had never sinned.  If anyone deserved to live, certainly it was him.  Yet we crucified him.  That was evil, and will always be evil. 

Instead, God changed the meaning of his death.  Instead of being the end of his life, Jesus crucifixion was the beginning of our life.  Out of man’s greatest evil came God’s great good. 

The same is often true of our suffering.

Think about the most important lessons you have ever learned.  Did you learn them when everything was perfect and happy?  Or did you learn them when your marriage ended?  When your child died?  Or as you struggled with illness?

It’s almost always in the moments of our greatest pain and suffering that we learn the most.  God doesn’t slowly move evil into something good – we still suffer, we still struggle.  But he does change the meaning, and in turn, our understanding.

That’s the radical, revolutionary, and different God.  That’s the God of the Bible.

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Success.  Failure.  We all experience these things.  Even if you’re Bill Gates or Tom Brady you will have both highs and lows in your life.  That’s just the way it is.  In fact, we’re all losers – we all have more failures than successes. 

In the AFC championship game a Steelers rookie dropped a pass that was a guaranteed touchdown.  He was so wide open it was embarrassing.  And yet at the moment that would have crowned his rookie year, he blew it.  A moment that would have sealed him in Steelers history, he choked and took his eyes off the ball.

We’ve all been there.  Well, ok, maybe we haven’t screwed up before a live TV audience.  But we’ve all screwed up in public ways.  And we have all wanted to lie on the ground and pretend we’re injured, just like Sweed did.  We think, “well if we’re injured, at least we have an excuse.”  Which feels so much better than admitting you’re a loser.

We live in a world that pretends you can be successful 100% of the time.  We’re told that life can be easy.  That it can be safe.  That the worst thing that can happen to us is to be placed in danger.  But the truth is, that’s a lie. 

The world is filled with failure.  And we are all losers. 

The question isn’t, “will I fail?”  The questions is, “will I get back up again?”  Limas Sweed almost didn’t get back up.  He almost stayed on the ground.  But something changed his mind.  Something made him get back up.  And you know what?  He became a winner.  He had two key plays that changed the course of the game.  He unleashed a devastating block and had a key catch.

In one game Sweed was both a loser and a winner.  That sounds a lot like our lives, doesn’t it?   

Peter had days like that too.  On the day Jesus was arrested, Peter put his best foot forward and declared,  ”even if all fall away, I will not!“  I think most of us would be thrilled to make such a bold statement.  We’d love to take a stand for Jesus that many people refused to do.  Yet, within a few hours Peter was hiding in fear, denying his relationship to Jesus. 

Peter was a loser.

But that’s not where his story ends.  And it doesn’t have to be where our story ends.  Peter went on to change the world with his life.  He got back up.  And because of that was able to do something amazing. 

That’s what God wants for all of us: to get back up.  We may be laying on the ground, just like Peter, but we don’t have to stay there.  We can get up and keep moving forward.  That’s the whole point of grace. 

There may be no better definition of faith then getting up one more time – especially when we don’t feel like it.  That’s what it means to live out a life of faith. 

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I love watching football for one reason: I don’t know the outcome.  It’s the anticipation of what’s about to happen that’s so exciting.  That’s what makes it thrilling.  Tivo it and I couldn’t care less.  The outcome has already occurred.  But when it’s live – nothing is more exciting.

Yet when it comes to my life, I feel the opposite.  I am afraid of the unknown.  I dread the anticipation of what’s about to happen. 

Why?  Why should there be this difference?

I think there shouldn’t be.  We should live to embrace the moment.  We can’t enjoy life if we’re always regretting the past, or even reminiscing in the “good times” of days gone by.  Nor can we live life to the fullest if we’re always terrified of what’s about to happen.  The only way to live out a life of faith is to do so now.  In the moment.  At this point. 

Anything else just won’t cut it.  And where’s the fun in that?

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Have you ever tried to use reverse psychology on God?  That’s where I found myself last night.  In the midst of an up-and-down Steelers game, I kept trying to find ways to get God to allow the Steelers to win.  I didn’t want to pray for a victory.  (I don’t want footbal to be too important in my life, plus I recognize that no matter what a victory would mean for me, there’s someone on the opposite side feeing the same way about their team.)

Yet, in the heat of the moment I couldn’t seem to stop myself.  I kept trying to find ways to “trick” God into allowing the Steelers to win.  I’d say things like, “God, if the Steelers win this would be a good lesson in why we should never give up and always have hope.”  Or “God, if the Steelers win I would better understand your grace.”

Yeesh.  Or as Myron Cope might say, double yoi!

As I thought about my behavior I began to wonder – how often do I try and manipuate God without realizing it?  How often do I blame God for things, when in fact I never asked for something, instead I tried to manipulate God? 

Sadly.  Too often.

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One of the goals of R3 is to present an intellectual side to faith.  So often people have the idea that you must have “blind faith” to follow God.  But that’s not the case.  God never asks us to stop using our minds or to stop thinking.  He asks us to trust him, not become brain-dead.

But not everyone sees Christianity this way.  Some people question the reliability of the Bible.  Others question the sanity of believing.  Not long ago Sam Harris, an atheist, challenged the existence of God, and therefore the validity of believing.  In his book The End of Faith, Harris argued that since there is suffering, there can be no God, because God would never allow suffering.  And if he did, he’d be a horrible God, and therefore unworthy of belief. 

Those are pretty heavy charges.  And to be honest, on the surface they seem very compelling.

That’s where The End of Reason comes in.  Ravi Zacharias responds to those challenges and lays down an intellectual and philosophical argument for the existence of God. 

Somewhere along the line, we’ve decided that people who have faith can’t use their mind.  That’s probably the polite way of saying it.  But that’s not what I’ve discovered.  I’ve found that the more I use my mind, the more I work at problems, the more I study the issue, the stronger my faith, the more I believe.  That’s the value of The End of Reason.  In one short (it’s only 128 pages long) book, Ravi Zacharias lays out a strong argument for not only the existence of God, but for the existence of the Christian God. 

He starts by arguing for a Christian worldview based on the ideas of origin (where do we all come from), meaning (what’s the point?), morality, and hope that assures a destiny.  Zacharias argues that when atheism is challenged on those points, it can’t come up with logical and consistent answers. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t find everything in this book convincing.  But I don’t think that’s the point.  If you talk to any scientist, he or she will tell you that no theory gets 100% of the evidence.  It’s not always about certainty, it’s about which side has more evidence. 

That’s where faith comes in.  There will never be a way to prove with 100% certainty that God exists.  We just need to take the evidence we have, use our minds, and allow faith to take us the last bit. 

In that regard The End of Reason is an excellent start.  Ravi Zacharias presents a compelling argument that counters the general arguments of atheism, and Sam Harris’s specific arguments.  Living out a life of faith is about being willing to ask tough questions, and listen for hard answers.  It’s about not shying away from the unknown.

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Is there anything easier than comparing what you have with what other people have?  More importantly is there any faster way of making yourself depressed?  Psychologists have even built entire theories around these social comparisons. 

We often think that just because you believe in Jesus, it means your life gets easier.  Often that’s not the case.  And just because you believe, it doesn’t mean you are less likely to compare yourself to others.

jealous comparisons

Lord – Help me to stay focused on you.  Remind me that my job isn’t to judge, but to be faithful.  It’s not to be jealous, but be trusting.  Yet…it’s hard, and I often fail.  It’s so much easier for me to look around and see the lives people live, and the things people have than to trust you.  Help me to break that habit.  Help me to stay focused on you, even when my eyes want to wander away.  Help me to be excited about what I have, not jealous of what I don’t need. 

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You’re sailing along (metaphorically of course), with everything going along just fine.  But there comes a day when every Christian must confront a major problem.  A challenge that threatens to ruin everything they’ve worked for.  So what is that challenge?  Is it sin?  Is it falling away?  Is it doubt?  Is it wishing you weren’t metaphorically sailing, but actually sailing?

All of those are very real issues.  But I don’t think they are the biggest danger.  I think the biggest danger happens when we lose sight of God’s grace.  The danger is that we become so self-assured that everything is “right” with God, that we no longer know the answer to the question, “what’s the point?“.

So we begin to believe that our behavior is the point, not God’s Kingdom.

If you look at who Jesus got most annoyed with it was never the prostitutes or sinners, it was always the religious elite.  Why?  I think it’s because they were so self-assured that all they could do was be condescending toward other people.  Isn’t that human nature after all?  That once we reach the top all we can do is look down on people?

They lost track of the point.

The only thing that keeps us from becoming religion snobs is focusing on God’s grace.  The instant we move into snob territory our relationships go from “relational” to “transactional”.  We focus on the “what can I get from helping you?” model, instead of “how can I love on you?” model.

That’s a dangerous place to be, because we think we’re doing the right things.  But we aren’t.  Let me illustrate this with an example.  Sometimes when people go out into the cold they start to drink alcohol, thinking it will keep them warm.  But that couldn’t be further from the truth.  In fact the alcohol thins the blood, increases circulation close to the skin and releases heat even faster.  Despite being completely assured that they are warmer, alcohol victims end up freezing to death. 

That’s how self-assurance works.  It convinces us that we are exactly where God wants us, when in fact we couldn’t be further from the truth.

There is perhaps nothing worse than thinking you are safe when in fact you are headed for destruction.  Christians must always take time to take a measure of where they are and where their lives are headed.  When we don’t, we run the risk of running aground. 

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Every time I touch on the topic of driving I get emails from you guys.  Apparently this is something we can all relate to.  Or maybe we’re just all really, really good drivers on R3! 

So lets take a look at two interesting ideas:  

First up is Christopher from Got-fruit.net who says, “I sometimes wonder myself, how many of those folks sporting a sticker or badge on their cars (or wearing T-Shirts), is actually concerned with being Christ’s ambassador. Or are they more concerned with merely being in on the novelty (merely a group to belong to, or social activity to be active in) of Christianity? A novelty created in part I believe, when the message of “what God is going to do for you” is preached instead of preaching ‘what God has done for us.’”

R3 was formed as a place to explore what it means to live out a life of faith.  And this is a great example of that idea.  Do we identify ourselves as Christians because we want to show someone God’s grace and to help people see that they have unsurpassed worth in God’s eyes?  Or do we do it because we want to make a statement for cultural, social, or political reasons? 

Another reader said, “Sometimes I think people who have bumper stickers like that [christian fish, etc...] feel entitled to driver poorly because they have ‘god on their side’ but maybe I’m wrong.”

There’s a theme, I think, that runs through both of these comments.  And it can be summed up in one word: entitlement.  Is there a time that we Christians begin believing we are entitled to something?  Maybe it’s entitlement to a political or social statement.  Maybe it’s entitlement to protection from accidents. 

But I believe Christians should be the least entitled people on the planet.  Everything we receive comes from a gift of grace.  How can we ever feel entitled from that?  How can we ever act in a way that doesn’t reflect that grace and forgiveness back to people?

So what do you guys think?  What do bumper stickers really mean?  Is it an act of entitlement?  Or is it a statement of faith, meant to bring people into a relationship with Jesus?  Let me hear your comments in the thread.

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I was pondering something the other day: have you noticed that God is never described by the stuff he has?

He’s never described by his sweet baseball card collection, or his Steeler bobblehead memorabilia.  He isn’t even described in terms of the kingdom he rules.  (When’s the last time you read an article about Bill Gates that didn’t tell you how wealthy he was?) 

Instead God is defined by the characteristics that make him who he is: love, patience, compassion, justice, truth.

But when someone says to me, ”who are you?”  I usually respond by telling them what company I work for, my educational background, maybe where I live.  I rarely, if ever, describe my personality or character traits.  I even quantify my life in terms of stuff.  Whether it’s readership at R3 or who my friends are, I’m always trying to use material things to define myself. 

But that shouldn’t determine who I am and what I’ve done. 

Greg Boyd says that Christians have one job in this world – to look like Christ.  If that’s the case, maybe we need to spend more time defining ourselves by our characteristics and less by the stuff we have.  For me that looks like worrying less about defining blogging success as pageviews, and more about impacting people’s lives. 

What does it look like for you? 

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