Do You Seek and Treasure God?

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in the field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44" p. 66

Chan uses this Scripture as an illustration, a benchmark, for what our response should be when discovering the gift of Jesus. When explaining the Scripture, he says the following:

"In this account, the man joyfully sold all that he had so that he could obtain the only thing that mattered. He knew that what he had stumbled upon- the kingdom of heaven- was more valuable than anything he had, so he went for it with everything in him.

"This kind of enthusiastic response to God's love is entirely appropriate. Yet, what a contrast to our typical response at discovering the same treasure." p. 66

Chan uses this Scripture as a segway to question our authenticity... our desire to really know Christ, to love Him and to serve Him. His argument here is that the church, in general, is more interested in boasting numbers than creating TRUE disciples. To further substantiate this claim, Chan references Luke Chapter 8:

"Jesus began speaking in parables- 'so that' those that weren't genuinely listening wouldn't get it. When crowds gather today, speakers are extraconscious of communicating in a way that is accessible to everyone. Speakers don't use Jesus' tactic to eliminate people who are not sincere seekers. The fact is, He just wasn't interested in those who fake it." p. 66

As Christians, we are to become disciples of Christ. And if we fool ourselves into believing that this can simply be done by going to church, mentioning Jesus to our kids every so often and living as sin-free a life as possible... then we are COMPLETELY missing God's great plan and purpose for discipleship. And, I think the responsibility (and by default, the blame) is on both the church and the believer. The church, as a whole, needs to do a better job of teaching and preparing us for what it means to be a disciple of Christ. As imperative as conversion is, what's the point if we're not genuinely teaching people how to bear the fruits of our faith. And hearing a sermon on Sunday morning just isn't gonna cut it... I don't care how eloquent of an orator you are! However, it's also important that we become willing to live as we have been commissioned to live. That doesn't necessarily mean we're called to sell everything we own (but for some of us, it just might!). However, it more than likely does mean that we need to get a little uncomfortable. We need to grow. It's time for us to have both feet in... so to speak! If not, we might as well have both feet out.

THE PUSH

Continue watching the video from Monday. Today, start where we left off... 9:15. Watch all the way up to 23:01. This is a little lengthy, but it's extremely powerful. Set aside some time to watch when you won't be easily distracted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBhqrtMqrv8&feature=related

Chapter 4: Profile of the Lukewarm

For those of you that have read the book, you already know that Chapter 4 is about being "lukewarm." As Chan so eloquently stated in the intro video... If we are lukewarm, Jesus will SPIT US OUT! The book gives us 18 examples of being "lukewarm." But, by no means is this an exhaustive list. These examples are just a starting point, a chance for us to look at ourselves, our actions, OUR HEARTS, and begin a dialog as to what we can do to remove ourselves from the stagnant, lukewarm waters of our current lives. But, before we get started, I want to touch on a few things that Chan discusses at the beginning of the book. First, of all, he starts the chapter off with the following quote:

"It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity." p. 65

When I first read this quote, I readily agreed with the sentiment and wondered to whom the quotation was attributed. Honestly, I assumed it was some modern-day theologian. So, imagine my surprise when I learned the quote was from 1809. These words, first coined by Frederic Huntington, still ring true today. Many of you that know me can testify to my passion for apologetics (using reason to defend the Christian faith against objections). What I've found so incredibly fascinating over the years is that no matter who I'm debating... specifically what argument or stance they take (which is usually scientific)... in the end it ALWAYS boils down to the same thing: They cannot tolerate the hypocrisy that has embedded itself deep within the fold of our faith. Somewhere along the line, their "rational" argument comes to a screeching halt and they begin some hate-filled diatribe about disgraced priests, or fallen evangelical ministers, or their church-going, drug dealing brother-in-law that sings in the choir and steals from his employer. Whatever the example, whether we see it on national television or hear about it in our own neighborhoods, the examples are plentiful.

So, how do we change it? Well, unfortunately, there isn't a quick fix. But, I think the first step is taking responsibility for our own actions and being accountable for how we live out our faith... in the world and behind closed doors.

THE PUSH

For the next few homework assignments, you will be watching parts of a sermon Francis Chan gave in 2006. Some of you might be tempted to watch the the clip in its entirety (which is fine), but I've broken it down so it corresponds with the blog. For this assignment, watch until the marker reads 9:15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBhqrtMqrv8&feature=related

God is the Greatest Good.

Well, we've made it to the end of Chapter 3. As Chan wraps things up, he asks a very interesting question: "If someone asked you what the greatest good on this earth is, what would you say? An epic surf session? Financial security? Health? Meaningful, trusting friendships? Intimacy with your spouse? Knowing that you belong?" If you read the title of today's entry then you know the answer... but let's say you didn't. Let's pretend that you're not reading this book. I'm willing to bet that many of you... myself included... might say that God is the greatest good... but only because we know that it's what we're suppose to say. (Okay, maybe I'm the only one... but I'm going to pretend that we're all in the same boat here!) The thing is... it's not that I don't think God is good. I know He is. But when you pose a question like this to someone, I think the automatic response is to think about the things in your life that are good... that bring you the greatest happiness and joy... OR the things that you THINK will bring you the greatest happiness and joy. In my heart, I know the answer should be God... but I'm not there yet. My answer... my honest answer... would be the innocent, unassuming, unconditional love of a child.

So, this brings me to the last part of the chapter... and if your HONEST answer to Chan's question wasn't that God is the greatest good, then this could sting a little bit. (And, even if it was, this could still be a little painful!) But, please, remember that this is what the blog is about: Digging deep... clearing out all the muck so we can authentically love God. Here's what Chan has to say:

"Do you believe that God is the greatest thing you can experience in the whole world? Do you believe that the Good News is not merely the forgiveness of your sins, the guarantee that you won't go to hell, or the promise of life in heaven? The best things in life are the gifts from the One who steadfastly loves us. But an important question to ask ourselves is this: Are we in love with God or just His stuff?" p. 62

Nothin' like a sucker punch to take the air right out of ya! But, this isn't really a sucker punch, is it? It's more like a direct hit, right to the heart of the matter. There's no mincing words here. He asks a hard question in such a direct manner that we can't hide. I think there are a lot ways we can dissect this and I'm not even gonna try to do it here. But, I will share what I learned from this: If you pose Chan's question to me and ask for an immediate response, then the answer I gave earlier would still hold true. But, if you give me time to think about the question, I would readily admit that what I find to be the greatest good in the world (the innocent, unassuming, unconditional love of a child) is from God. It is one of His precious gifts. My belief in God isn't "fire insurance." I'm not trying to hedge my bets against hell or increase my odds of entering heaven. I'm over that hurdle, if you will. I readily admit, and I'm exceedingly thankful for, the blessings that God has bestowed upon me, but for now, my greatest joy is still tied to the blessing and not to God. I know the gap between the two is closing, but it still exists... for now.

THE PUSH

I'm going to segway into Chapter 4. When you get a chance, take a look at the intro video. The next seven weeks are about rolling up our sleeves and getting to work. Chapter 4 is the reason I started this blog.

http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos_chapter.html

Do We Have a Choice?

At the end of Chapter 3, Chan shares with the readers a question that was posed to him while speaking to a group of college students. The question was this: Why would a loving God force me to love Him? When asked to clarify the question, the student said the following: God "threatens me with hell and punishment if I don't begin a relationship with Him." In response to this, Chan readily admits that he wasn't sure how to answer that question at the time. But, once he had time to think about it, he came up with the following response:

"[I]f God is truly the greatest good on this earth, would He be loving us if He didn't draw us toward what is best for us (even if that happens to be Himself)? Doesn't His courting, luring, pushing, calling, and even 'threatening' demonstrate His love? If He didn't do all of that, wouldn't we accuse Him of being unloving in the end, when all things are revealed?" p. 62

By now, you guys know that I'm a big fan of Chan's. But, in my opinion, Chan temporarily lost his sanity here. Since when does God need to coerce us into loving Him, let alone threaten us? I get nauseated just thinking about those two words being put together in the same sentence: threatening and love. You don't demonstrate love by threatening someone. The implication... even through this ill-conceived justification... is dangerous and can lead us to an extremely slippery slope. Not to mention the fact that it totally misses this mark. In the question posed to Chan, the student's premise was all wrong. God doesn't threaten us with hell and punishment if we don't start a relationship with Him... because He doesn't have to. I mean, sure, it's a reality that we all must face... a decision we must make. But what good is threatening us into making this decision. I can very easily say that I believe something with my lips, but know with all certainty, in my heart, that it isn't true. Anyone that has ever been threatened into making a decision understands what I'm saying.

Now... I'll cut Chan a little slack, because I think his intention here was to compare God's "threatening" with that of a parent threatening a child with the consequences of breaking a rule... But, even then, he misses the bigger picture. When I threaten my children, it's because nothing else in my arsenal of tricks is working. In truth, it's out of desperation. God doesn't have to threaten. He's God. There's no bag of tricks, no alternative plans, no desperation. There's just the reality of our free will and the consequences of our decisions.

THE PUSH

I just came across this video about 2 minutes ago. I think it falls in line with what I touched on today: God's love for us and the "practicality" of coersion. Plus, it has a really good communion message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHlq7c5QIHQ&feature=related

Being Wanted By God

This is another really hard one for me. I don't understand what it means to be "wanted" by God. I've never given any thought to it. In fact, I've probably thought more about it in the last 2 hours than I have for my entire life. The idea of be wanted, in general, is something I stopped tormenting myself over a long time ago. The truth is that I spent so much time as a child longing to be wanted... excepted... for the person I was (instead of the person I could be), that after a while I just stopped caring. Over the years, when I've discussed this with people, they've all been way too eager to dissect my psyche, saying that "deep down inside, I really do care...I'm just not willing to admit it." And maybe 10 years ago that was true. But, it's honestly not the case anymore. Those that know me the best... my husband, my best-friends... will testify to this. Over time, my heart has been hardened. I've conditioned myself to genuinely not care about the opinions of other people... acceptance is trivial. So, now the conundrum I find myself in is figuring out if I really want to open Pandora's Box, if you will.

I have experienced my share of pain and heartbreak. I have been disappointed beyond words when it comes to this subject... a tattered relationship with my parents and the failure of my first marriage definitely top the list. At first, those experiences made me bitter... correction, I allowed them to make me bitter. But, the irony here is that through those experiences, I have developed traits that I really love. I'm independent (because I've told myself that people aren't dependable), I speak my mind (because I refuse to let anyone tell me what I should think), I don't mince words (because I wasted too many years of my life with someone that refused to be honest.) On paper, the idea of God wanting me is great. But, in reality, the thought completely knocks me off kilter. Because, to except that... to want it for myself, places me in a vulnerable position. It could cause me to reopen wounds that have long been closed. In the book, Chan says:

"The wildest part is that Jesus doesn't have to love us. His being is utterly complete and perfect, apart from humanity. He doesn't need me or you. Yet, He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance. (Eph. 1:18). The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us. That really is amazing beyond description. The holy Creator sees you as His "glorious inheritance." p. 61.

So... if this is true, it means that "He wants us, chooses us, even considers us His inheritance" despite ourselves... despite our faults, despite our imperfections. He loves us as we are... for who we are. It's a perfect love that we will never know here on Earth. No matter how many times we've been disappointed by man (be it a spouse, a parent, a child, a friend), we will never be disappointed by God. But, for those of us that have been hurt in this arena, here's the reality that we must face: God does want us... and that will never change. In my opinion, we each have a choice... and I'm beginning to think that it's a pivotal one in our walk with Christ. We can simply accept that He wants us and leave it at that... OR we can open our hearts, as wounded and vulnerable as they may be, to the greatest possibility of being unconditionally loved and wanted... forever transformed by this realization and acceptance. God wants that for us... we just need to want it for ourselves.

THE PUSH

Spend some time thinking about this today. Have other relationships in your past, adversely affected your relationship with God? Do you accept the fact that God loves you and wants you as you are... no matter where you are in your walk? If not, spend some time in prayer, asking God to help you in the areas of acceptance and understanding.

His Faithful Servant~

Deirdre

Fearing God

One of the questions I hear a lot is: How am I suppose to love God and fear Him at the same time? Those two elements do seem somewhat contradictory. But, I think that's due to the fact that many of us grew up under a rather impious, or irreverent, understanding of fear. Going back to the whole "dad v. DAD" thing, I feared my father, but not out of respect, or reverence. I feared him because I understood what would happen if he got angry. Chan touches on this as well:

"If I could pick one word to describe my feelings about God in those first years of being a Christian, it would be fear. Basically, any versus that describe His overwhelming greatness or His wrath were easy for me to relate to because I feared my own father." p.57

So how do we create a disconnect between two completely different examples of fear? For me, I have to start with what fearing God isn't... or by default, what fearing my father meant. The times when I truly feared my father were when he was out of control: when he drank too much, when he was outraged by someone else's actions (or his own), when he wasn't in control. My fear was anticipation of the fallout. And this is where the difference in fearing God is so profound. God doesn't lose control. He's the one thing that is always constant, always in control.

So, then what is fearing God? As an adult, I find that the things I fear share a common thread. Whether because of ignorance or naivtey, I fear things I can't understand, let alone explain. God definitely falls into that category. With God, fear is not synonymous with terror. It's about marveling at how incredible and powerful He is... excepting the fact that we will never understand Him. We cannot put Him in a box. We cannot change Him to fit into our lives. We are the ones that must change... and through Him we are compelled to change. I think back to all the times in my life when I changed something about myself, with hopes of being accepted by someone else...especially my father. But, at no time, did those changes make me a better person... not until those changes came as a result of my faith in Christ.

So, yes, I fear God. I've read the Bible...several times. I've seen what God has done, knowing that it's only a glimpse of what He is capable of. But it's so much more than that. Chan sums it up well when he says the following:

"Fear is no longer the word I use to describe how I feel about God. Now I use words like reverent intimacy. I still fear God, and I pray that I always will. The Bible emphasizes the importance of fearing God. As we talked about in Chapter 1, our culture severely lacks the fear of God, and many of us are plagued with amnesia. But for a long time, I narrowly focused on His fearsomeness to the exclusion of His great and abounding love." p. 57.

THE PUSH

I came across this song the other day. It's not considered a Christian song, but I can't help to think of God when I hear it. This past Sunday, a dear friend of mine gave the communion address to our church. She spoke about a flower that bloomed at her house, which doesn't seem like a big deal until you learn that the flower sprouted between her house and a concrete slab. Under the most impossible of conditions, it flourished. The simple, delicate beauty of a flower amidst the harsh, cold, concrete reality of the world. A long time ago, I put my own spin on a pretty popular phrase. Now it's my motto in life:

With Christ, NOTHING is impossible... just mathematically improbable.

Hope you enjoy the song!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaJdebAqYKc&feature=related

Scheduling God

In the next segment, Chan approaches the subject of how we can begin to reconcile the thoughts of fearing God and loving God. This is obviously important and I won't skip over it, but I'm going to hold off on that until Friday. Instead, for today, I want to focus on something he says at the bottom of page 56.

"Most Christians have been taught in church or by their parents to set aside a daily time for prayer and scripture reading. It's what we are supposed to do, and so for a long time it's what I valiantly attempted. When I didn't, I felt guilty." p.56

I definitely fall into this category. I know that I've mentioned this before, but I'm a "List" person. I make a list for everything. They're a great tool for keeping you focused and on task, but they can also be a HUGE trap. For the longest time, I had "READ THE BIBLE" on my "To Do" List everyday...along with things like: Go to the Gym, Pay the Bills, and Do the Laundry. It was essentially boiled down to a chore... something I did and then checked off my list. Honestly, most times, I probably rushed through it JUST SO I COULD MARK IT OFF THE LIST. Chan goes onto say:

"Over time I realized that when we love God, we naturally run to Him- frequently and zealously. Jesus didn't command that we have a regular time with Him each day. Rather, He tells us to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' He called this the 'first and greatest commandment' (Matt. 22-37-38). The results are intimate prayer and study of His Word. Our motivation changes from guilt to love." p.57

You know, it seems like I'm hearing this a lot lately. In fact, our pastor has made reference to this Scripture quite frequently the past few weeks. I think, collectively, we just let the words wash over us, not allowing them to seep into our souls. "Of course, we're suppose to love God...Duh." But what does that look like... compare it to what you know. I love my husband. I want to spend time with him. I look forward to when the kids are playing so I can sit down and actually have a conversation with him. I want to know what he's thinking and I value his opinion. Can I say this about God? In theory...Yes. In actuality, as reflected in my actions... maybe not, or at least not as much as my husband...which is a problem.

So how do we fix it? Well, I'm not quite sure how to fix it, but I do have a pretty good place to start: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. STOP!!!!!! Right now, I know that some of you are saying, "Yeah, yeah...Love is patient...I know, I've had that memorized for years." Do I need to replay the Chan video about his daughter cleaning her room? Look up the Scripture. Do you notice anything different about how "love" is portrayed? Love IS patient. Love IS kind. You see, we have been conditioned in our society to believe that love is a feeling: butterflies in the stomach, sweaty palms. But, that's not what Scripture says. Here, we see that love is a noun that's involved in action. It's doing something. Instead of waiting for God to stir something in us...an emotion or feeling... why aren't we out there stirring it up ourselves. If the greatest commandment is to love God, then we need to be ACTIVELY loving Him. For some of us, including myself, this might be a little difficult at first...but that's why we have homework!

THE PUSH

For the next 48 hours, try to ACTIVELY love God. Read 1 Corinthians 13 if you need some inspiration. For me, I'm going to start actively "loving" other people and see what God reveals to me. I'm hoping that He will help me understand how to love Him more... and I'm sure He's saying "About time!"

His Faithful Servant~

Deirdre