We should clarify something. I'm completely, utterly, without exception... broken. I'm a mess. Here's the thing though: I have a relationship with Christ not because I’m good but precisely because I am not good. He rescued me from myself and the ruin I was causing. But He’s changing me. I’m still a mess, but I’m God’s mess.
Too many people think that Christians are right wing, extremely conservative politically, complete "do-gooders" who are hypocritical and think that they are better than you somehow... and unfortunately there are believers who are just that. I can say personally that the church I came from had the same type of people. These same people looked down their noses at people like me as well. When I was going through severe personal problems I was shunned by some of these people.
And it's people like this that make it hard to be a believer in a world of non-believers. I must admit that there have been times in my life when I've questioned "what is truth?", am I really a believer or am I just another hypocrite.
Well of course I'm a hypocrite! I don't follow the normal 'dogma' like so many other 'religious people' do though, and honestly Jesus wouldn't have and DIDN'T. The right wing, extremely conservative politically, complete "do-gooders" who are hypocritical and think that they are better than you somehow type Christians back in Jesus' day were called Pharisees. They HATED Jesus. They actually KILLED Jesus they hated him so much. Yet, this is what Jesus warned believers of. He literally said DON'T be that way.
Don't get me wrong...I have all kinds of things wrong with me. Tons and tooooonnnns of baggage and personal problems. We all do, both believers and non-believers. Do I try to do good? Yes, but it's not because I'm trying to seek approval of others, and it's sure not to 'get into' heaven. I realize that simply by accepting Jesus, heaven is a given. BUT. I TRY to do good because I love others. I care about others. I still drink too much beer, cuss too much, have perverted thoughts, etc, just like everyone else. Truth be told, probably MORE than anyone else. ;)
But I'm still loved. I'm a huge mess, but I'll accept that and leave that to God.
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4 comments:
I came through the 12 step programs and ended up in a reformed church. The tenets of reformed theology made a lot of sense to me.
The bigger issue is you can't follow the teachings of the Bible and not belong to a local church. Every church has hypocrites, but they also have dedicated REAL Christians, who are there to help through difficult times. A local church needs YOUR gift, as it takes us all to make up the body of Christ.
I may have misunderstood, but the Unchristian Christian idea is flawed.
Whoa! You're not supposed to admit that you have problems! Haha. Yeah, sometimes I feel just a little outside the normal religious routine also. I actually believe that I NEED Jesus because of how messed up I can be. Helping people because of the love of Christ is a foriegn concept to those who do it for religious duty. Excellent!
we are all "believers" anyways...
why do we have a propensity to think everyone is on the same growth process as we are? If a relationship with God is unique to our individuality, then we shouldn't compare ourselves to one another for we are all wonderfully and marvellously made, uniquely and in His image...
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