The most intriguing aspect of the Christ story is the very nature of incarnation itself. Jesus models that it is possible to be both God and human at the same time. This is for us, certainly, the most terrifying thought. Throughout history the church has retreated into deifying Jesus so thoroughly that the human Christ can't be seen. If indeed Jesus is too human (or barely human at all), he calls from us a worrying response. To this otherworldly, super-spiritual Jesus I simply have to offer my devotion, my worship, my adoration. By the grubby, human, peasant Christ we are challenged that maybe it is possible to be human and Godlike after all.
How distressing to us that Jesus could be the Messiah, the human incarnation of God for thirty years and NO ONE AT HOME NOTICED! No one in Nazareth smiles knowingly and says, "I always suspected there was something strange about that kid." Instead they wonder where he got all this messianic stuff. Somehow Jesus could be fully God and blend into Galilean society - hardly the most pious or sophisticated culture - without creating a ripple. What does this mean for us? It invites us to follow Christ in all His ordinariness as well as his righteousness. The incarnation demands that we neither retreat into a holier-than-thou Christian ghetto nor give ourselves over to the values of secular culture.
Take a look into the life which Jesus modeled for us. His life calls us to be godly, but we are expected to live it out in the midst of others, not just in the confines of church. It tells us that we should be able to hang out with sinners yet we do not compromise on our obedience to God. What Jesus did was right. He was involved in the lives of sinners and showed them the love of God, but He wouldn't have been able to impact others lives the way He had done if He retreated into a "holier-than-thou" attitude. Rather He closed the gap and was in close proximity with sinners. He was eye to eye with them, and treated them as equals, they were friends. What does this say about God? Jesus shows that God is a God who is interested in every detail of your life and has involved Himself in every aspect of it. That He is a personal and close God, not a distant and indifferent one.
I challenge you to do the same: to live a godly life in the midst of sinners yet maintain your faithfulness. Show others the personal God you know.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Count the number of times the letter F appears in the following paragraph.
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS... [answer at the bottom of the page]
Theres a lesson that God wants you to learn, that "F" in the sentence of your life which you just seem to miss.
There comes a time in our life that we have questions, questions that pain us.
You're wondering why there is no break through in your prayers, why you're in the situation you are in now, why you don't have a job, why everything is going wrong for you, why everyone around you seems to be doing better, and the list is endless.
We all have experienced our share of pain and struggles in life. The secret is that: behind every difficulty and obstacle in life there is a lesson learned. Unless you learn the lesson that God is trying to teach you, those painful "whys?" will never have answers and you will find yourself repeating the same lecture until you finally get it.
God is so good that He desires that you become the best you are, because when you are at your best you are most like Him.
Each and everyone of us is a working progress and God propels us towards perfection by giving us our lessons in the forms of problems we have in life, pain, confusion, and unanswered questions. The lessons are merely God's chisels, used to sculpt us to look and be more like Him.
Reflect this week on what it is God's trying to say to you, what He wants you to learn through your time of difficulty. Review your life, your situation, and circumstance. Try to find the missing "F", go letter by letter, read it again and again. Chances are there is something that needs improvement on you behalf. Maybe the reason you're not having break throughs in your prayers is because you're not doing your part. Maybe the reason you're in the situation you're in is because of the poor choices you're making. Maybe the reason everyone seems to be doing better than you is because you simply choose to remain as you are.
Don't fret if you are experiencing pain, just know that class is in session. The sooner you learn the lesson the faster you progress. Learn your lesson, don't repeat the grade.
[ANSWER 6]
FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS... [answer at the bottom of the page]
Theres a lesson that God wants you to learn, that "F" in the sentence of your life which you just seem to miss.
There comes a time in our life that we have questions, questions that pain us.
You're wondering why there is no break through in your prayers, why you're in the situation you are in now, why you don't have a job, why everything is going wrong for you, why everyone around you seems to be doing better, and the list is endless.
We all have experienced our share of pain and struggles in life. The secret is that: behind every difficulty and obstacle in life there is a lesson learned. Unless you learn the lesson that God is trying to teach you, those painful "whys?" will never have answers and you will find yourself repeating the same lecture until you finally get it.
God is so good that He desires that you become the best you are, because when you are at your best you are most like Him.
Each and everyone of us is a working progress and God propels us towards perfection by giving us our lessons in the forms of problems we have in life, pain, confusion, and unanswered questions. The lessons are merely God's chisels, used to sculpt us to look and be more like Him.
Reflect this week on what it is God's trying to say to you, what He wants you to learn through your time of difficulty. Review your life, your situation, and circumstance. Try to find the missing "F", go letter by letter, read it again and again. Chances are there is something that needs improvement on you behalf. Maybe the reason you're not having break throughs in your prayers is because you're not doing your part. Maybe the reason you're in the situation you're in is because of the poor choices you're making. Maybe the reason everyone seems to be doing better than you is because you simply choose to remain as you are.
Don't fret if you are experiencing pain, just know that class is in session. The sooner you learn the lesson the faster you progress. Learn your lesson, don't repeat the grade.
[ANSWER 6]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)