It's not a bad thing for everyone to do, but most definitely a bad thing for me to do.
I'm reading a book that challenges the way I live. It teaches poverty and humility, it exemplifies love that covers a multitude of sins as the main character is constantly derided for the way he lives and what he says. This book literally makes me want to move into a tiny town and try to live out the script that has been provided.
The problem?
I've been reading the book that this book was based off of and I never understood the exact same message I just finished reading.
The book Joshua, by Joseph Girzone. It's challenging and humbling at the same time. Imagining Christ living humbly never comes to my mind. I have to admit that I knew He was humble, but imagining Him living humbly hasn't been one of the ways that I generally pictured Him. And it should have been.
How do you picture Christ? How do you see Him responding to insults, and lack of consideration? How do you picture Him interacting day in and day out with His people? We see the big shining moments in the bible, but do we see the tender heart that loved the children and bade them to come to Him? Do we picture the Christ that spoke not "cover-all" words, but words that specifically pierced a heart because Christ knew that person and what words it would take to pierce that heart?
I've always thought it was a shining example when people with visitors would inform their visitors that it was a church day and so they would be going to church. It seems natural and good to show where your priorities lie and what's important to you. But, even now, having said why it seems natural, I wonder at the possible foolishness of even the thought. Aren't our priorities to love? Isn't loving others what's suppose to be important to us?
If Christ had company in his house, would He tell them He could only visit until church time? What would Jesus do? Would Jesus condemn people that smoke? Drink beer? Would Jesus talk sternly to those that don't dress in "church clothes" for church?
Are our minds so full of sins that we have made into sins that we have lost track of Gods love and unending compassion towards us?
So many of us pride ourselves on not being like the Pharisees, and I'm wondering if we're not far more like them than we'd like to think.
Think about your week, what do you have planned? Is it chock full of ways that you are humbly loving and serving? Are you looking forward to the intervals in which you rest (as God desires us to) and enjoy His creation?
Are you existing only for yourself, and just allowing time to pass?
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2 comments:
IS the challenge to the way you live or to what you hold important?
Christ had all he needed and all he wanted. He decided to not live like an earthly king. Christ only asked that we follow his teachings not his life style. Else you might have your head covered before you left this house today.
Seeing as Christ is trying to work on my heart, my mind, when I think I Him I do some more in terms of his spirit not his physical existance. It is the physical part which mankind could and did attack. Satan is the only one who tried to attack the Spirit of Christ.
I know a gentleman in New England, He was from Maine. His voice was so soft that it commanded attention else you missed what it was he wanted to share. He as a big man whose hands could do amazing things building and creating everything from boats to fish from to ships you place on a shelf in your home.
No one ever wanted to be an old white headed handyman but everyone who knew him desired to have his gentle softspoken spirit.
THe life without - poverty - fulltime dedication - God uses people like that to reach some he desires as children.
I know a gang member God changed and uses.
I know a biker God turned into an amazing youth leader.
I know two actors who have turned form the Hollywood life style ans tell the story of Jesus.
Would't it be a shame if once we accepted Christ and took up his teachings we had to start hearding sheep in Arizona, or fishing for a living.
Dad's folks come from West Virginia, my Grandfather was a preacher, a coal miner, a janitor, whose childern did not understand at the time that the work that kept him away from home was needed to keep a a roof over their heads.
I think the...quandries you describe arise from the dogmatic, pharasee-like religion that we're accustomed to. It's based more on following the rules and less on actually accomplishing our mission of serving God and reaching others. Once you break out of the rules and see the life you were meant to lead, whether in poverty or wealth, then you truly realize how foolish simply following the rules was.
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