I had coffee with a friend last night. We touched on a good many topics, but the underlying agreement between us was that it is time to cut through the fluff and get down to some serious Bible. Read what it says. Believe what it says. Do what it says. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?
Actually, it is.
But herein lies the problem. The gospel of Jesus Christ, in its simplicity, goes against the grain of human nature. Because it’s uncomfortable. It’s convicting. It’s a commitment.
So . . .
Instead of reading, believing and doing, we’ve created a user-friendly Jesus. We’ve twisted Him into a version we are more comfortable with. We’ve molded Him into our image instead of allowing Him to mold us into His. We’ve come to Him and said, “I’ll listen to what you have to say, and then I’ll decide whether or not I like it.” In a nutshell, we don’t take Jesus seriously.
We live in a world dominated by self-advancement, self- esteem, and self-sufficiency. It’s all about individualism and materialism. Who needs Jesus when we can do it all by ourselves?
I’m thinking about this today. Praying, and asking God to show me where I need to make some corrections in my life. I don’t want to hear His words and walk away, content to settle for anything less than obedience to Him. I want to experience the consequences of really believing and really doing what the Bible says. Because if Jesus is who He said He is, and if His promises are as rewarding as the Bible claims they are, then maybe the satisfaction and success I think I have in my life are nothing compared with total abandonment to Jesus.
I’m not interested in a user-friendly gospel that can be manipulated to suit my own personal comforts.
Because that’s not a gospel at all.
I’ll stand with arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all,
I’ll stand, my soul, Lord, to You surrendered,
All I am is Yours.
Inside the Writer 