A Letter

Dear fellow, flawed human,

You have your beliefs about “Biblical interpretation” and I have mine. You think you’re right but so do I. And while I can never say that I am right, 100%, it’s not about that; it’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong, because God is right. My life is one surrendered to Christ. And if parts of it aren’t surrendered yet, they will be, because God never begins a work in anyone without bringing it to completion (Philippians 1:6). Just as I cannot judge you or how you live because I don’t know your heart, you cannot judge me or how I live (Romans 8:1). The Bible is truth, and if we are submitted to Christ, with His help we will all come into alignment with that truth. The only one who can bring about any transformation is the Holy Spirit; I cannot transform you by sheer power of my will, nor can you transform me.

You do not define me. We do not define each other. Jesus defines me. We do not have influence on each other’s fundamental identity, because our identity is in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 3:26-27). You are not God in my life, nor should anyone be God in my life, or in anyone’s life, except God Himself. We can encourage, we can tell each other in love when we believe the other is doing something contrary to God’s will (2 Timothy 4:1-2), but we do not define each other. And if you try to define me, or try to put me in a box, or try to change me to be like you and think like you and do things like you, we will clash, because Christ alone is Lord of my life and no one should try to take His place (Exodus 20:4, Daniel 3:8-18).

If you cannot accept me and love me and respect me as I am now, today, in this moment, without trying to mold me into what you think I should be in the future, and if I cannot do the same for you, then we are failing at loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. I respect you and try to see things from your point of view. I take no pleasure in trying to control you or change you. Love is seeing who the other person is and respecting them for it, and accepting them the way they are. Love is patient, kind, unselfish, and humble (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7). If we cannot do this, or try to do this, then something somewhere is gravely wrong.

Christ is Lord of my life. Christ sits on the throne. I love Him and follow Him and, though I fail and often, my heart intention is to obey Him and worship Him all the days of my life. None of us should try to take His place, no matter how “good” and “noble” our intentions. I don’t try or want to take His place in your life, nor do I try and define you or make you mine. We should be standing together, pulling each other up and forward, brothers and sisters in arms, sharing the load, fighting side by side instead of with one another. God is God, and we are not. It’s as simple as that.

Sincerely,

a fellow, flawed human

The Truth Like a Brand

My Christianity is a simple one. Maybe this is wrong, but I have found it to be right, and so far God does not seem to object.

Love God, commit myself to Him with no option of returning, love Him, obey Him, and love others as I do myself.

I do not hold with arguing over details. I believe Jesus Christ is God incarnate, and that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; that no one comes to the Father except through Him. I believe that He came to earth as a man, lived a life without sin, and willingly placed himself in the hands of men to be killed, taking our sin on himself. I believe that He defeated sin and death, and that He rose again victorious, three days later, and ascended into heaven. I believe that He sent His Holy Spirit to help and guide us until he comes again. That is my Christianity. It is a relationship with the living God, who created all things, and I cannot help but to worship Him. That is my Christianity.

For this reason I find it hard to argue over, or have an opinion of, details. Does it fit with the basics I mentioned above? Then it’s of God. Does it not? Then it’s not of God. We spend so much time trying to work out the details, trying to make the lesser things a cause to live for, a cause to die for. What does the BIBLE say? Does the Bible mention ‘water spirits’ and how to rebuke them? No, but several other books do. Does the Bible say we should focus on anything other than Christ and make that our end goal? No, but several other books do. When will we stop only seeking advice from other flawed humans and go to God Himself, who after all knows the answers better than anyone? When will we stop equating the words of pastors and authors with God’s living Word? GOD speaks.

Jesus. Christ. Is. Lord. That is what matters. Tell me what is in the Bible, not in some other book, unless it is based on and comes out of the Bible. I want to see Jesus, not kingdoms men have built for themselves to rule for themselves. The Kingdom of God is my home; not a church building, not a group of people. The Bible is truth, and whatever contradicts it or God’s command to love others and Him is false. When will we begin to truly believe that, and to live according to it?

‘”Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’

“Jesus replied, ‘”Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’” Matthew 22:36-40

Chasing My Tail

I seem to constantly go through the same cycle in my relationship with God. First He draws me in and I experience the kind of excitement and fire that anyone has when they first come to Christ. Then He brings things to the surface in my life that are dragging me down and pulling me away from Him, and He deals with them. This of course is rather unpleasant, and at this point I engage in evasive maneuvers and suppress everything “so He can’t get at them” and act like everything is fine. I start to even resent God for “causing me so much pain” (even though I’m the only one causing myself any pain, by hanging onto things that aren’t good or nourishing) and I have to force myself to read my Bible or pray. And then, because He’s God, He draws me back again. He makes me realize that He loves me and that I belong to Him, that His plans for me are not to harm me but to prosper me and give me hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

Why is this? I wish I could say I’ve learned my lesson now and won’t break the cycle where God begins to refine me, but I can’t because I’ve thought that many times. Now, in the stage where God is drawing me to Him, I can say that I trust Him and will continue to trust Him even when I feel like He is painfully chipping away the hard edges, but I don’t know whether it will last. What I can say is that each time it seems to be just a little bit easier to stop trying to run away. Each time the stretch between running away and coming back gets shorter. So…that’s good, right? If there’s anything I’ve learned it’s that a) God is in control and He’s faithful, and b) this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon.

 

People always say that and you’re like, “Right. Right. But for me it will be a sprint. I’ve got this. I’m just that awesome.” But it’s a marathon no matter what you do. It’s a marathon because, quite simply, none of us could handle a sprint. And God knows that. It’s a life-long marathon, an exciting one, and trying to cram it all into a year or two is going to cause burn out and discouragement and bitterness and a whole slew of other problems. Then we blame God and say He expects too much of us, when actually we’ve taken all this excess stuff on ourselves.

 

So, I know where I’m sitting now that the cycle will continue. But I guess it’s encouraging that it’s getting shorter, and that the highs are getting higher. God is faithful, whether or not we are. And that’s kind of encouraging too.

A Little Something Like This

Take that book you’re always quoting. Yeah, the Bible. Take it in your hands. Feel the pages, shuffle through, bend the covers. Have you read it through?
Take God’s word in your hands. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word is Jesus. Take Him in your hands. Feel the pages. Those words you fling like weapons, feel them in your hands. God’s word. God. Those words you fling like weapons.
Using them to back up some theology. Using them to judge and hurt and lacerate. Each sting like a whip, taking lines out of context. Have you read it through? Who is God to you? What are you trying to do? Build a kingdom for yourself and prove your intelligence, or humble yourself before the King of Kings? Where is love? What do you want in the end? To convince everyone you’re right at the cost of Christ, or to say what HE says? To be His love, to be His light?

Speaking truth versus speaking lies; they can’t coincide. Choose one and stick by it, don’t defend lies with twisted truth, taking a word here and there. Are you afraid? The Word is fire, refining, unflinching, burning up all impurities. Can you take Him as He is? Can you face Him in all His glory, not the little god you’ve created and put in a box you can carry around like a dog in a purse?

Open your eyes. Open your heart and your arms, stand, terrified if you must, but stand before Him, let His fire rush through. Salve can only be applied when there’s been a fire, soothing can only come when there’s something to soothe. Let your hard heart be broken out of its shell, somewhere – somewhere – there’s still a live, beating one, a pulsing heart.

Integrity; consistency; humility.

Why so determined to make lies out of truth? Only the truth will set you free. What’s more important, God Himself or your theology? Make up your mind and call it like it is. The world needs no more lies, no more rules and regulations, no more burdens. God’s yoke is easy and His burden is light. The truth is in His Word and the truth will set you free. Make up your mind; no more compromise. Choose between pride and God’s freedom, truth, and light; it’s one or the other. Decide.

Rest the World Doesn’t Know

Rest. What comes to mind when you see that word? I’m guessing the outdoors, maybe the cliche ocean-and-palm-trees scene, maybe a hammock swinging in the breeze, a book, a couch, a bed. Rest is something we either do for a few hours after work is finished, or for a longer period, like a vacation. But the point is that rest is a concept separate from the rest of our lives; we don’t ever associate work with rest, for example. It seems like an oxymoron.

God instituted the “Sabbath” rest in the Torah when He was giving His commands and the Law to the Israelites, whom He had just brought out of Egypt.The very first time any kind of rest is spoken of in the Bible is Genesis 2, when God rests after His work is finished. I seriously doubt that God needs rest at all, but I think He was setting an example for us. Although paper and ink was precious in those days and things were not written down more than once without reason, the Sabbath rest is mentioned a few times, as though God is reminding the people how important it is. This is one kind of rest, a day set aside where no work is done. Without getting legalistic about it, I think those of us Christians who think we can ignore this and just blunder on to victory are seriously mistaken. It is shocking how much difference a day of total, set aside rest makes.

But my actual point is this: although that rest is needed, it is the way the rest of the world rests, too. Anyone can set aside a day to not work, regardless of what they believe. It’s a physical, human act to decide not to work, to go on vacation, to prioritize sleep, etc. But Christ offers a different kind of rest that quite frankly blows my mind. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30, NIV

It is already spoken about in Psalm 23. Most people I know, Christian or not, have heard and read this Psalm so many times that it has lost meaning. It’s one of those passages we never really read anymore because “we know it.” But after I finish the post I’m going to post it here, and I really hope you will read it, really read it. David is talking about how God leads him beside quiet waters and refreshes his soul. I don’t think David was only talking about a physical stream of water, since he goes on to talk about the darkest valley, which is obviously metaphorical. When you read it, it seems like David was talking about a place inside him, where he communed with God.

The rest of Christ is not necessarily a physical rest, which makes it all the more incredible. It is a quiet place of peace where His Spirit ministers to you and fills you with His peace. You can be working, you can be sleeping, you can be actually physically resting…this peace and rest that Christ give us through the Holy Spirit is not limited by what you are doing physically. It’s beautiful and wonderful and a gift He gives to us.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Psalm 23, NIV