Anyways, I want to HIGHLY recommend a book to you. It's called "The Hole in our Gospel". I am loving it. Let me know if you are reading it because I want to know what you think.... I will probably be posting some qoutes on here in the days ahead but here's one for today: "More and more, our view of the gospel has been narrowed to a simple transaction, marked by checking a box on a bingo card at some prayer breakfast, registering a decision for Christ, or coming forward during an altar call. ....we seem to have boiled it down to a kind of 'fire insurance' that one can buy. Then, once the policy is in effect, the sinner can go back to whatever life he was living.... There is a real problem with this limited veiw of the kingdom of God; it is not the whole gospel, instead, it's a gospel with a gaping hole. First, focusing almost exlusively on the afterlife reduces the importance of what God expects of us in THIS life. The kingdom of God, which Christ said is 'within you', was intended to change and challenge everything in our fallen world in the here and now. It first requires that we repent of our own sinfulness and totally surrender our individual lives to follow Christ, but then we are also commanded to go into the world- to bear fruit by lifting up the poor and the marginalized, challenging the injustice wherever we find it, rejecting the worldly values found within every culture, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. While our 'joining' in the coming kingdom of God may begin with a decision, a transaction, it requires so much more than that."
I love books like these that challenge people who say they are Christians (like me) with such strong statements b/c it forces me into the Word to see if I agree. And as in this case, when I do think that this author is biblically correct then I have some very hard questions to ask myself. Am I lifting up the poor? Am I challenging injustice wherever I find it? Am I TOTALLY basing my life on God's values and not the worlds? Am I truly loving my neighbor as myself? Or have I cashed in my transaction and then living life based on what feels good/right? I think that in my "season of life" it could be somewhat easy to convince the "world" (including myself) around me why I don't have the time for any of those things. I hope I don't offend anybody but I have heard of lots of stay-at-home mom's say their only job is to care for their children. But actually God is really putting on my heart the opposite. Girlfriends, God's word, in it's entirety, is to US!...no matter how many kids we have, no matter how much laundry we have, no matter what our circumstances. He is telling me that THIS IS the season to TOTALLY surrender myself to Him, it is what EVERY season should look like. Yes, this season of my life DOES look different in a lot of ways.....ah, it is the season for no-time-for-makeup, messier-than-usual-house, not much time to be with friends, hibernating at home with my kids, etc. BUT the season to surrender to Him is now! He has called me to keep following Him...(long past the point of transaction).....period. I can't seem to find anywhere in His word where He leaves exceptions for stay-at-home-mom's-of-4.....I have cashed in on my transaction and NOW He wants to use me to love on the poor, to challenge injustice, and to have my values line up with His. Especially now. It's all pretty easy for me to say, but harder, much harder to do. I am not saying that I have achieved success at any level in all of this....my heart has a LONG way to go to be totally surrendered to Him (which then will give Him room to do these other things through me)....but I do want to keep reading these challenging books and keep digging hard into His word b/c that is how His Holy Spirit works to keep me accountable to live the life that He has created me to live....ah, the most abundantly wonderful and hard life! Thank you mighty Lord, for your Holy Spirit that is at work convicting me today! Jet lag is over, no more excuses.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.
It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himslef will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
I Corinthians 3
What does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6
2 comments:
I've never been a respecter of persons, titles mean nothing to me, people are people and should not be put on pedestals but every once in awhile someone shows up that rocks my world and Richard Stearns is one of those men, Bono calls him "a real life action hero" and he is right. God brought me The Hole in our Gospel at a time when I was in the process of questioning so many things and it brought such conviction and passion and vision and I'm ready girl, let it begin...let it begin!!! I think I told you someone told me once you can't change the world from suburbia, my family proves them wrong everyday, we can and we should and we will.
LOVE your thoughts Jenn. I have struggled with this so much the past 2 years (since my little girl was born). God is callng us all to something more...stay-at-home moms, full-time career women (and men)...ALL of us.
Sounds like a great book. I am reading a book now that is a jumping point from what this book seems to be talking about. Last chapter it focused on how we look so much to heaven that we forget about loving God and what that means. I am looking forward to starting this book after I finish the one I am on...Thanks Jenn.
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