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As a parent, I try to keep a positive outlook on life but as a believer in Christ, it is getting more and more difficult to remain positive. The Bible is pretty clear on how things will play out and progress, but we believers do have many promises that we can revel in to help us endure. The promise of a better place, without pain and suffering for anyone, let alone children, is something that helps me no matter what I find myself going through. So, I thought, why not give a state of affairs for Christians right now, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Here goes.
First of all, we Christians do tend to get quite a bit wrong. Not all of us all of the time, but with many Christians, up is down. For example, here in the US funerals are generally a time of sadness and a reflection on the things of this life, but if a Christian has graduated on to a much better place, why are we so sad? Should we not ponder our way out of some tears and think of the future of the individual a bit more? In a way, I get it, we will obviously miss the person because we are only human after all, not used-to-be-human-Zuckerberg-robots, but should we not be celebrating? Grieving is not forever, but only for a period of time.
When my grandmother on my mom's side passed away, I was having a pretty good time talking to people and having a laugh here and there. Then, someone came up and asked if I am even grieving. That was roughly 17 years ago and I do miss her everyday, but I knew near the end of her life that she was ready to go home. So, when we got together for the funeral, I was feeling pretty good and I knew she was ready to go, so why not feel good for her? To a believer, funerals should be a celebration, a tempered celebration, but a celebration of life none the less.
Since I am on the topic of backwards, here is another one that boggles the mind. The Bible is pretty clear a few different places that we are supposed to delight in the tougher times of life. Trials, as the Apostle James called them, are tough periods of time in life that ultimately produce good qualities in us, that God allows us to go through. Hard times, as Dusty Rhodes called them, but these difficult circumstances are allowed, ultimately, for our own good. It is a part, or process, of us growing into the image of Christ. Great, my boss is really, really dogging me, I need a new roof, and I have been really sick. Praise the Lord God Almighty! Not the first thing on my mind when I get a 2k bill on my ride, but if the Bible says so, we can have faith and believe so. As backwards as it seems to our earthly shells, it is true.
I am not sure if any of you know of Jake Ducey on YT and other platforms, but he is worth a listen. I enjoy various takes by him, but his take on us being eternal spiritual beings that are, for a fairly short period of time, having a human experience, is right on. To me, the evidence grows that we are living in a simulation and there are many people that produce solid evidence of such, they are not hard to find. So, it makes sense to me that in this human experience we have, we are basically in a testing ground phase. Our spiritual being will live forever and that forever is impacted, in some way, by our human experience but to what extent I do not know. So, for this I really focus on Romans 10:9, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Actually, to me, Romans as a whole is right up there with the best writings of all time.
If this is a testing ground and the Bible cautions us many times about how narrow the way is for the rich, why do so many American churches preach this prosperity stuff? That is an excellent question and I think I know the answer. It is pleasing to the ear, puts butts in the stadium seating and it gets dollars put in the offering buckets to pay for the stadium seating. Seriously, it may not be biblical, but who doesn't desire to be rich? Alas, those dollars keep the corporate church budgets going strong. My guess is that China-19 has quite a few churches on the ropes financially, but that is a good thing.
The Christian church started in homes and, in my opinion, that is where the church should finish. The US is a capitalist nation, so the lets-all-get-rich doctrine sells well, but I believe the Bible teaches being content, no matter the circumstances. Rich, poor, or in between, if one has their priorities right and their heart in the right place, it truly should not matter. I land, gold, silver, and cryptocurrency, but I Jesus, so I have to believe that if I am poor, well, poor is what I am supposed to be. I have Jesus, so the financial picture, whatever it looks like, is down on my priority list. Stewardship still commands my attention though as it is a pretty big sign of what is most important to us, good or bad.
Ultimately, I believe the bigger issue than prosperity is faith. So many people have more faith in their employment status, their business or even the United States dollar than in what God can do. I hear Christians talk about prayer for a new, better job or more money, but I am trying to get to the place of unrelenting faith. The type of faith where I already just know in my heart and mind that God has a plan and will just provide. Even in the Old Testament, before Christ, many men and women in the Bible hall of fame, just had faith in God.
In prayer, we cast mountains into the sea, but we have to have faith that it will be so. On the contrary, I do not want to condemn someone for praying about something though. I do believe God is very pleased that we speak our concerns, but I am trying to shake my mind free of the common way of thinking and I believe faith in Jesus helps with that. If God fed the Israelites with manna from the sky, well I can have faith that no matter what, God will provide for me and my family. That is truly living when one gets to the place of utmost faith, maybe I will not achieve that plateau, but will I ever try.
Which brings me to the topic of teaching the Bible, meaning the whole Bible. Most churches would never preach the Old Testament during a Sunday service. I just do not think the church here in the US, is really teaching the whole Bible. This is sad to me and probably God too, that he has given us a flashlight with 100 settings of illumination and we only use some of the settings. Look, Christians are supposed to read the bible and pray on their own accord, but that does not give Pastors the right to be lazy and only teach what is pleasing to the ear and what fills the church bank account.
We go to a church with awesome people, none involved in crypto that I know of, but we really love the people. The Pastor literally teaches through the Bible and he taught through the Old Testament for months and months. Truthfully, it was like a trial to sit through some of those esoteric Old Testament books and chapters. It was, however, good to hear though and he taught through Daniel which was perfectly timed.
This post seems to be more grievances that anything and I have one more. What is going on with this perfect Christian image thing? I suppose it goes hand in hand with the prosperity teaching. Anyway, John the Baptist lived in the desert and ate locust and wild honey. I do not think he looked like Joel Osteen, he probably looked more like a darker skinned, totally unkempt Jim Morrison. Dude was a out there, but he baptized Jesus. Many people present the image that all is so very well. At times in life, everything does seem to be in perfect order, but not everyday all the time. I would have more respect for Osteen if he came out and just let it rip with what he truly struggles with and how he is managing to cut down on his addiction to hair products. To me, that would be an even better motivational speech than his typical live-your-best-life-now-with-great-hair stuff.
Here is the deal, we all struggle with things, we are not perfect. If we are all so perfect, well then we do not even need Jesus. The twelve disciples that Jesus picked were a wild bunch to choose to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the message of Christ. Seriously, Jesus could have picked a better lot at Wal*Mart. He chose those dudes, as imperfect as they were. There is hope in that folks, because I know I am not proud of quite a bit that I have done. Just facts, but other people can hold me to my past if they wish, I am heading toward higher ground no matter what goes through the mind of others. Accepting Christ is what it is, a person is accepting that they truly need a Savior. I believe God accepts us as we are and we learn and grow, like children, and we grow into the image of Christ, but we will never reach perfection during our human experience. Try we must, but it is just reality that we will not get there.
Okay, so enough of what is wrong with everything and why-can-it-not-be-exactly-how-I-say-it-should-be. I will end this with a popular verse, but a very great snippet from the Bible, completely applicable for today. By the way, I have to go track down some locust and wild honey and continue to let my hair grow long! Boom, Samson with the Tetris!
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future". Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
