Hard Stuff

There's some pretty harsh stuff in the Bible. Harsh stuff about God even. There's sections I know pastors skip over much more than not because there's just hard things to deal with in there. Things that people say keep them from believing the Bible in full or in part, and things that make those who claim it to be the absolute word of God still question "Would God really..."

I've asked those questions before, and I've answered "yes" to those questions before. I don't have a problem with some of the actions I read about, but I certainly won't scoff at those who wrestle with them either. I'm not sure where this difference in attitude comes from. Maybe it's the way Jesus just broke into my life that makes some sovereign actions less of an issue. Maybe it's because I came the Bible to be true first through the lenses of science, history, reliability, and prophecy about Christ that I trust all of it to be an accurate account of God's interaction with humanity. Maybe I'm impersonal and callous enough that I just don't put myself in the stories and feel the weight and pain in them. I don't know. Probably some of each.

That said, I wanted to write something about what I don't hear talked about whole lot. First, do a search in Revelation for "book of life" and see what there is. Among the results are these:

- "The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life." (Revelation 3:5)

- "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come." (Revelation 17:8)

- "And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:15)

Real book, symbolic book, I don't really care. Let's work with the imagery we're given. It looks to me like a person's name was put in the book before the creation of the world, other people's names were not put in the book, a person's name can be blotted out from the book, and if a person's name ain't in it, there's hell to pay. Literally.

Who did the writing or omitting, can do the blotting, and will do the judging? God.

So that might make a person's brain hurt. God can make someone knowing they will be destroyed? Well, yeah. God can make someone with the purpose of destroying them? Well, yeah. Check these out:

- "But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth." (Exodus 9:16)

- "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory -- even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:21-24)

I picked these on purpose because they both show not only the sovereignty of God in raising up people for whom it would not end well, but also the reason behind it -- God's glory. God can't very well demonstrate his love, grace, mercy, and so on, in delivering people -- without having something to deliver those people from. It's his universe, and he do what he wants with it, even show off his goodness by allowing or outright making the means to show it.

Think that's not fair? From a human perspective, it certainly could, and we're pretty tied to human perspectives. If you're there, consider this:

- It's not about us and our sense of entitlement. It's about God and his glory. All have sinned and fall short, and he's under no obligation to save anyone.

- Though under no obligation, he did choose to save people through his son Jesus. He lived as a man on earth, suffered much at the hands of those who should have exalted him, took the sins of the world on himself, and died a horrific death on the cross.

- All that stuff I just said -- he did for his enemies, such as myself, before I put my faith in Jesus Christ.

So before we throw up that cry of "unfair," consider how fair, from our human perspective, it was for Jesus to take our place on the cross so we could have eternal life and live with God forever instead of eternal punishment and be separated from God forever. From my point of view, Jesus getting a pile of wrath and God getting us left him with the short end of the stick. Of course, that limited view is because I'm the clay dude, not the potter.

If that still seems unacceptable and unfair toward some people, consider that for just about everyone, it's their own words and actions that will condemn them, by rejecting the means of salvation God has provided. In other words, though I can't prove it from scripture that I know of, I believe that most people start with their names in the book of life and cause it to be blotted out by rejected whatever light God reveals to them. Why do that and complain you've been unfairly destined for destruction? Why not instead turn from sin to Christ and prove yourself to be destined for glory?

Finally, if that STILL seems unacceptable, I don't know what else to tell you other than go make your own universe and run it your way. Good luck. I'll stick with this one with a God I know is completely sovereign and able to do anything, a God who is for me and not against me, a God who has a crazy love me and wants me to love him back with all my heart, and a God who is always right and just even when we don't get it, because he cannot be otherwise. This is my God, and though he's not safe, he is good.

Get Selfish

Care about yourself first.

Stop settling so easily.

Put your eyebrow back down, un-squint the eye on the other side of your face from the raised brow, and let me explain.

I'm not talking about a little house with little stuff bought with little money from a little job working for some little company in this little state on this little planet called earth. I'm not talking about anything related to what we think you're entitled to or what we think we should shoot for in the Disneyland world we live in here in America.

It's not about comfort, convenience, security, retirement, or anything so petty and short-sighted. That's where people settle way too easily -- thinking about the here and now that is gone in an instant instead of thinking about eternity.

I'm talking about salvation, and I'm talking about joy.

If we want the most out of this world, we're have to realize that getting the most doesn't come from this world. It comes from something, someone, far greater and more amazing. So let's stop trying to fill a hole inside with something that only God can fill. Let's seek him first, seek his kingdom first, do what he says -- after all didn't Jesus say in John 15:10-11 "if you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."

Joy? Not mere fleeting happiness that we try to get from the world? But real, lasting, complete, joy? That's not settling, that's what we were created to have.

But we have to get selfish with our joy. Our joy has to come first.

What?!

I didn't say our own happiness has to come first. I said our own joy has to come first. And joy is different. Joy is deep and rich and wide. Joy is what makes other people want what we have. No joy is what makes people go "why should I care about your Jesus?" I don't care what great thing someone goes off and does "for Jesus" -- if there is no joy in the person's heart behind it, I question how effective that "great thing" is.

And if we seek our own joy first, we'll do what God wants, because true and lasting joy only comes from him. We'll love people madly and deeply. We'll give and give of ourselves. We'll desire to do, try to do, and actually do, those things Jesus said that makes us do a double take and say "Jesus you're nuts! That's impossible!" And people will see it, allowing us to make a bigger impact on a hurting and dying world.

We're Idiots

We're idiots when we evaluate local churches by how much we like the music, the messages, the child care, the service times, the parking, the location, the whatever. How about how solidly the Word of God is taught?

We're idiots when we confine worship to three rehearsed songs on Sunday and prayer to mealtimes and bedtime. How about making our lives an act of worship and making prayer an ongoing conversation with God throughout the day?

We're idiots when we say "we can't" when the first believers got the good news out to the world and took care of the poor with no Internet, no cell phones, no cars, no polished process and programs, none of that. How about "Go!" and "Okay!".

We're idiots when we put God in a box and don't let him permeate every little corner of our lives.

We're idiots when we really stop and think if the tradeoff is worth it between attachment to our little things in our little houses on this little teeny tiny planet and being in the presence of Almighty God for all of eternity.

We're idiots when we think that the God who made the whole universe can't help us with our teeny tiny problems, I don't care what they are. We're even bigger idiots when we think that's all he's for is helping us, because it's not about us.

We're idiots when we get wishy washy with the gospel or think we're entitled to something or that we deserve something or that God shouldn't do something or doesn't have the right to do something, whatever! We're talking about the God who made us and everything. The God who is in charge. The God who can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, without consulting anybody.

We're idiots when we think either that God is not a God of love or a God of wrath. Sin must be dealt with, and God did it through the cross. One act satisfying his wrath and showing his love. Perfectly just and perfectly merciful, all in one. Accept it, receive it, believe it, and get right with him today if you're not. He deserves all our love and all our devotion. As the one who gives us every breath we breathe as a gift, it's his box, his rules, his board, his pieces, and his dice. End of story.

And if you've read this far and think "man, that guy's self-righteous", you're right. Quite often I am, among many other things I shouldn't be. But forget that failing right now, and just make me a crown with "King Idiot" written on it, because I'm in the same bloody boat.

All glory, honor, and praise to a great and awesome God we cannot possibly grasp in our tiny human brains.