and the One who walks with me on it.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Grocery Store Christianity



       I watched the special features in the movie ‘End of the Spear’ and there was a part about what this native thought when he visited North America and went grocery shopping.  If you ever have a chance to listen to it, it’s kind of interesting.  One of the things that impressed him was the availability and variety of so many products and that you could take as much of anything that you want.  We are used to going into a big store, buying all the things we need (as long as our cash holds out) and leaving behind those things we dislike.

       We treat Christianity the same way sometimes.  We go into it expecting to get the things we like- as much of what we want when we want it, but we become unhappy when we can’t get what we want.  Then we wonder- if we aren’t getting our prayers answered the way we want, why bother being a Christian.  In other words, we went to the meat counter expecting chicken, but there was only liver left.

Bleck!  We don’t want no liver!

       In the same way we go to the Word or to hear teachers/ preachers and we take the parts we like home with us and feed off of them, but we leave behind the parts that we don’t like to hear such as repent, change your ways, stop gossiping or criticizing, obey, give up your idols, love God first   These are not always easy to do and so we try to ignore them- maybe hoping they’ll go away.  But the Lord says ALL scripture is given to us:

All Scripture is God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected, thoroughly furnished to every good work.  2Tm. 3:16,17
(Jesus said) "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."  Mt. 4:4
For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Hb. 4:12

       It is NOT good enough to say we are Christians.  If we are true followers of Jesus Christ we will allow the Word, the Spirit, and the Father to transform us.  That means we need to accept ALL of it, the easy, sweet, happy things and the difficult, tough, convicting things that we’d rather not work on.  Sometimes we just don’t want to look in the mirror and see us as we really are.  Nonetheless, we are given all the Word for our benefit, so we need to stop picking and choosing only the things we like to follow and start following all the Lord wants for us to do.  No more grocery store Christianity, but choosing to accept ALL God has for us- as good.


And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.  Rm. 12:2
But we all, with our face having been unveiled, having beheld the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord Spirit.  2Cor. 3:18
I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live, Dt. 30:19