I’m reading a book right now called The Sacredness of Questioning Everything by David Dark. It’s an interesting book. There’s a quote in it that hit me:
“If the words of Jesus of Nazareth…strike us comfortable and perfectly in tune with our own confident common sense, and our likes and dislikes, our budgets, and our actions towards strangers and foreigners, then receiving the words of Jesus is probably not what we’re doing.” (emphasis his)
Jesus isn’t here to help us build a little cocoon of faith that we can nestle comfortably in while the rest of the world goes to hell.
He’s trying to get us to do to opposite. Get out of your little world and into the big wide one that needs to hear about a God of love. It’s going to cost you time, energy, money and perhaps your very blood.
If you think the Bible is a book designed to make you feel content and comfortable, then I respectfully submit (in agreement with the quote above) that you’re not really reading it.
It’s not a book designed to make us happy.
Moses, Solomon, Noah, Isaac, Paul, Stephen - these are just some of the stories in the bible that don’t end in a feel-good, happily-ever-after kind of way (at least on this side of eternity).
Jesus talks about taking up your cross before you can follow him.
The Bible give us food for thought…ideas expressed, often imprecisely or unclearly that we must wrestle with. It’s a book that is trying to get me to take a good, hard look at myself: Why do I do the things I do? Do I hate? Lust? Love the things of this world in a disproportional manner?
It refuses to let us stay the way we are. It’s whole purpose is to help bring about change in our live. Real change isn’t easy. And it usually isn’t fun. So I guess it’s not surprising many people don’t read it at all. And some who do, don’t take it too seriously.
Doing so is really tough. Everyday you see how far short you fall. And until you understand that, God’s grace is just a nice concept.
But seeing yourself as you really are is tough. A mirror that reveals imperfections can cause you to start doing something about those imperfections, or cause you to avoid the mirror.
I avoided the mirror for quite a long time. Now, as I am looking into it daily and letting God work in my to change myself, I can say most assuredly it’s tough. I screw up all the time.
Some days it seems like it would be easier just to let myself and God down rather than to pick myself up again and continue walking this difficult path.
But I know that’s not really an option. After all, where else would I go? Only in Jesus can I find the words that give eternal life. (John 6:68)