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