Every few years, I get into this "Christ REALLY IS everything" kick. I'm on one now, actually. During those times, I think I see the world clearer than usual, and perspectives change. I begin to see what my life would really look like if I really believed what I claim to believe.Call me a crazy zealot if you like, but maybe "Lost" wouldn't be so important, maybe I wouldn't watch TV at all...
Maybe I would be willing to camp my life around the reading of God's word, getting to know it, and having a Theology degree just wouldn't be enough. Maybe I would be happy about embarking on a three year journey to soak up and become intimate with His Word.
Or maybe I really am crazy, and it is ok to watch movies with sex in them, to spend all my time and money on me, and never mention His name without a steeple above me. Or to eat til I'm sick, find my worth in my wife, to sleep in, and to act just like everybody else on planet earth. After all, the Gospel is free, right? No strings attached, huh? Jesus hung unrecognizable on a cross so I can live however I feel like, or did HE?
The longer I live, and the more I read my my Bible, the more firmly I am convinced that we do folks a disservice when we explain the Gospel. We say "Christ plus nothing=Eternal life". I think it is more accurate to say "Christ minus everything=Eternal life"
So, now that you're all cheery, let me get to the point: I challenge anyone who is as sick of a carnal and powerless Christianity to start this with me. (Click on the title to this post.) I become more impressed daily of the centrality of the Bible in my life. How can we be "little Christs" when we spend more time checking email than reading the very words of God? We are so messed up, and we constantly go back to things that poison us to make our rotting bellies feel better. This is like a weight of bricks on my chest...
So, I found an MP3 NASB for $15.99, and you get one in print for about $30. The big cost here is time, folks...
But hey, maybe Christ thinks it's cool enough that you spend 15 minutes in the morning reading Our Daily Bread (there's at least one verse for each day). And maybe 2 hours on Sunday is all He would ask of us, since we have so many other things to do.
But it's your choice after all, and I'm probably just having a Christ-centered breakdown, and will probably feel different in the morning...
3 comments:
Well written post and I know where you are coming from. I'm not committing to the 3 year thing b/c I don't live in a cave with no other commitments (that God Himself has given me, in raising boys at home) but I will commit to doing #'s 1-6, starting March 1st. We'll see about #'s 7-10 when the time comes. And just a note: Our Daily Bread does have it's place. I do read it and spend time reading the chapters it suggests, meditating on the daily Scripture and journaling my thoughts and prayers on it each day, so even though I totally understand where you are coming from - I do - I also know God honors our desires to know Him better whether it be spending 3 hours a day in His Word or 30 minutes. He has spoken to me through small and seemingly trite devotionals...
...just wanted to share that. Thanks for a great post; I'm going to pass it on to my small group since it lines up exactly with what we were discussing a few weeks back here at my house.
Will you share where you found the $15 Mp3 Bible?
Stop challenging me, I am trying to get comfortable!
No, seriously. These are good thing to consider and be burdened with. May we all be burdened with such things.
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