Making God Fit (How We Try to Recreate the Creator)

In an attempt to reconcile our standing with God and our living in the world, I think we've attempted to change and modify him.  In fact, we have a history of attempting to reduce God to a political platform, a few standard cultural norms, or even a figure who just doesn't like whomever we hold in contempt.  In other words, we try to recreate the Creator. 

Do we really believe God would be either a democrat or republican?  Certainly, he has a set of ideals (would we want the ruler of the universe to have none?).  But, try to imagine Jesus running for President.  First of all, he wouldn't.  He was explicit in saying that his kingdom is not of this world (John 18).  He also instructed his followers to give their hearts to God...and give Caesar what is Caesar's (Mark 12).  In other words, your most important possession belongs to God.  Secondly, his political platform would look a little unusual by the worlds standards, wouldn't it?  Try to make a political commercial out of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). Blessed are the meek?  The response would certainly include how "impractical" Jesus' espoused values are in the modern world (author's note: by the way, Jesus meant that stuff).

Neither does God fit into our cultural norms.  Sure, God has blessed America.  But, I'm not entirely convinced that he recognizes our borders with Canada and Mexico and he has blessed many other nations besides the USA.  Kenya is desperately poor but has one of the most devout Christian populations in the world!  Why do we say God has blessed us only when we are prospering (or when we win the game - not when we get beat)?  Do we really think that our struggles and weaknesses contain no blessings as well?  What if our prosperity and/or strengths are only serving to distract us from our need for God? This was the case with the rich young ruler (Mark 10).  What if God has intentionally left us with a weakness in order to further demonstrate his power through us as was the case with Paul's thorn (2 Cor 12)?  Moses stuttered and was orphaned.  John the Baptist ate bugs.  Jesus himself was poor and despised by the majority.

Finally, we tend to justify ourselves to God by pretending that he is more accepting of our shortcomings as opposed to the shortcomings of those people around us.  In our minds, this makes us slightly better than "the bad guy" standing next to us thinking that God then holds us in higher esteem.  For instance, if we fail to recognize our pride and arrogance, but hold the drug addict in contempt, are we sounding a lot like the Pharisee who prayed "at least I'm not like this poor tax collector" (Luke 18)?  According to Jesus, it was that "heathen" tax collector who made it to heaven...

God is obviously too expansive to reduce and recreate but we try to do it anyway.  Anne Lamott said it nicely" You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do".  In this sentence, you could substitute the word "people" with: things, ideals, or shortcomings as well.  I pray to have continued faith that his word will hold true.  That he alone is sufficient.  That he will provide my needs just as he is ... and that I not attempt to reduce him to whatever I see as normal and/or acceptable. 

Real Faith, Real Living

I believe that one of the reasons that God created human freewill was so that faith and love would exist within us.  He loves us enough to allow us to choose whether or not to follow him.  So, while our broken world is full of hurt, love does exist and it carries the most incredible and overwhelming power.  True love manifests itself in us in ways that can be quite surprising.  Who among us hasn't been surprised by what people are willing to sacrifice for someone for whom they have deep adoring affection?  Thus, Jesus said that those who truly believe in him will lose their life for his sake; they place his interests before their own. They end up seeking to glorify him in how they live.  Paul called this "being a living sacrifice"

Some people picture Christians as self-loathing religious rule-followers. They think that we live in a state of shame and guilt subjected to oppressive rules and regulations of a controlling church.  Some churchgoers have an equally distorted image of what it means to follow Christ believing that merely repeating a particular prayer, kneeling before an altar, or robotically following a set of rules (Jesus called this last group "whitewashed tombs") will lead to a fulfilled life with Christ.  Unfortunately, disappointment follows this approach when their spiritual walk is short-lived and empty.  They find that a formulaic approach to God is a dead-end road leaving them further from God rather than closer.

When true belief is found, the disciple approaches God in a manner that can be somewhat similar to other relationships in their lives.  A follower feels compelled to learn as much as possible about the incredible one with whom this relationship has started.  The more we understand him, the more we grow to appreciate how truly magnificent God is.  The more we appreciate him, the closer we grow in our relationship with him.  We also see that while we can never fully understand God, we are called to trust him.  To trust in the unseen and to believe his promises.  This is where our faith lies.

Followers get joy from following Jesus.  They pray by speaking and listening to him, study the bible to learn more of him, and observe his works in their lives in order to better understand him.  They desire to please him in all that they do - not because they are forced to but because they wish to offer themselves as living sacrifices to the everlasting God.  They trust what he says and follow him because they know and love him.  They even pray that he will strengthen their desire to live in a manner that brings glory to him and not to themselves.  This is massively different than being a religious rule-follower isn't it?  Regimented rule-following is founded in self-interest, staying out of trouble, fear and appearances.  It is a sham.  I am most happy when my children do good because they have the desire to do so - rather than because it has been demanded of them.  I imagine God feels the same about me.



  

Gaining Life By Losing It

People from the world's western culture - especially those of us from the United States - seem to love being in control.  I'm not speaking of the type of control that equates to a desire for power (although there is a strong natural tendency for that too).  This isn't about being on a power-trip.  It's a discussion about our natural want to determine our destiny, eliminate surprises, always know where we are going, write our road map through life, or even merely preserve ourselves.

But, God wants his followers to depend upon him and his provision.  We can see this demonstrated throughout the entirety of the bible.  Jesus Christ told his disciples "whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it".  Jesus also said that "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me".  I believe that he was being quite literal about this.  And in the desert, God wanted the Israelites to be completely trusting in him even for their daily sustenance.  He provided food to the them, in the form of manna, for a period 40 years (after Moses freed them from the bondage of slavery in Egypt).  But, he only supplied them with one day's worth at a time.  God wanted them to trust and depend on him...completely...each...and every...day.  He wants that for us today.

That doesn't mean that the Creator wants to make mindless puppets out of his followers, forever in waiting.  This fact was demonstrated from our beginnings - our individual freewill is essential in his desire for us.  We also shouldn't think that relying on God means no motion on our part.  But, he wants us to actively put him at the very center of our lives and our actions.  I heard a pastor once describe the catastrophe that would result if the planet Mercury suddenly replaced the Sun at the center of our solar system...that arrangement wouldn't work any more than when we attempt to remove God from our center.

Unfortunately, my natural inclination does not align itself with these ideals.  Sometimes, it is incredibly difficult to lose my life.  In fact, it is something that I need to do daily...if even 50 times a day.  My notions of "what is best" occur throughout the day, every day.  It isn't until I realize my plans are merely my own human design and that God's are divine, that I realize how much I limit myself by attempting to save my life.  There is a paradox in that it takes real strength to truly release ourselves to God's will.  It can seem somewhat like jumping out of an airplane.  However, in this act of holy obedience, the parachute has never failed to open and the destination is always better than wherever we planned to land.  It is better because it is God's destination.

God is really really big.  He's huge.  He created a universe that has been estimated to have a diameter of 150 billion light years.  We can't comprehend that distance any more than we can fully understand his design for our lives.  But, with his abundant grace, our faith will be sufficient to see where that design leads.  Undoubtedly, our plans for life are small in comparison and these small plans have been outweighed.  This will surely be an exciting ride...if only we have the willingness to jump.