Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Sermon by Mike Fortune
BECAUSE HE LIVES - A LIFE WORTH LIVING (PART TWO)
Millions of Christians are following Jesus to gain a better life of blessings now. We think it’s our birthright. That God owes us. But God is not a vending machine. Put some faith in. Get some good stuff out. And deep down, I think we know that. Because suffering happens whether Christians pray or not. Godly people grow old and weak. Faithful servants of Christ fail in ministry. Some die young. Sincere followers of Jesus feel depressed and unsettled and hate the pride and insecurity that remain within them after years of living for Christ as best they knew. So God is not a vending machine. And we know the abundant sanctified life worth living doesn’t work that way. But sometimes, we smuggle our own version of it into our Christian understanding.
How? Like this. We say if you want good kids, raise them according to Scriptural principles. If you want a good marriage, understand a biblical model for marriage and live up to it as closely as you can. If you want God to bless your ministry, follow Godly principles of leadership. If you want to be emotionally healthy, practice spiritual disciplines. If you want close friends, learn to accept yourself and to be vulnerable, authentic, and forgiving. And we disguise it with Scripture. We quote “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Or “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” expecting all our plans to go well and Godly children to be raised that stay in the church.
But even when we follow as best we can these principles of influence, it still doesn’t always happen that way does it! So sometimes we become hurt, fearful, or frustrated with our Christian life making room for anger, doubt, and depression to take over. We want the good life of blessings for ourselves and our children, but we find ourselves in the same situation as Israel: we can’t keep our part of the bargain.
Deuteronomy 29:9 says, “Carefully follow the terms of the covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.” But when God instructed His people to do so, the standard was perfection and they couldn’t get it right. The shocking thing to many Christians this side of the cross, even after conversion and baptism, is we can’t either. They think they couldn’t perfectly obey before conversion because they were sinners. But that after conversion, they should be able to do so. But to combat this mistaken notion of the sanctified life, let us again look at 2 texts. The first is Ellen White’s favorite passage in Scripture she preached on which is found in John 15. Jesus Himself, describing the sanctified life of a believer following conversion, says, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” But Philippians 4:13 adds, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So what is the common denominator? Your effort? Before or after conversion? No. It is Christ. Before and after conversion. He is key to Victorious Living. He is the One and only One capable of giving victory. Yet still I hear life long Christians talking about gaining the victory over something in their life as if it is something they can achieve. No, that’s not our job. Our job is to come and keep coming to Jesus trusting His power to pardon and empower, to save and to sanctify, to tame and transform our lives in His time.
The bottom line is we didn’t do anything to merit heaven and we cannot do anything to merit a life worth living on earth either. The quicker you come to that conclusion the happier your life will be. But millions of Christians are following Jesus to gain a better life of blessings. We enter the Christian life by getting saved, by trusting Jesus to pay for our sins; but then we proceed to teach our children to live the Christian life by getting it right so God will bless them the way they want. But 2 Peter 3:18 implies we should be doing otherwise. It says we are to grow in grace and faith and hope and love and not in blessings or victories however we define them.
We’ve been saying for a while now it’s about who you know. But what Galations 4:3,9 adds is it’s also about who knows you! Galations 4:3,9 describes the sanctified life this way. “We were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But now that you know God-or rather are known by God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”
It’s interesting, the Greek word for principles there means sequence. It’s a word used by the Greeks to refer to elements in sequence like letters in the alphabet. That verse says the basic sequential vending machine understanding of Christianity came not from God, but from the world, the basic principles of the what? The world. And sometimes it appears they work. Or graduation commencement speakers would be out of business. But they don’t always work. Even for the Christian. Why? Because a life worth living is about abiding in the presence of Jesus not His blessings however they’re defined. We are saved by grace and just as importantly, we grow by His grace in His time.
Our job is not to transform our lives or secure blessings. Our job, even after conversion, is to abide in Christ. He is the common denominator. He alone is responsible for changing people’s lives. So why doesn’t God trust us to change our own lives and habits and addictions? Because He knows, even if we we’re sincere, that we can’t! He knows we are sovereign over nothing! Luke 17:10 (NIV) says after we have obeyed and done everything we can do, Jesus says we are still to call ourselves “unworthy servants.” We’re like Switzerland. We’re a country, an identity, we’re on the map. But we have no army and can fight no wars. Which is why James 4:7-8 implies we must trust our Commander in Chief for that. And because from the world’s perspectives, He lost. From the world’s perspective, so will we.
So much so that even converted Christians will be tempted to think that lack of change and life transformation in their Christian witness and walk must be their fault. They weren’t good parents. They weren’t good spouses. They weren’t providers. Whatever. But in matters of faith for the converted Christian, this is one time I can think of when perception is not reality. Why? Because from God’s perspective, from the Bible’s perspective of faith and trust, control is an illusion. We don’t have any and never will. Janet Jackson was wrong in the 80's. Jesus is the only one in control. The common denominator is Jesus!
The Bible says everyone has been born with a little bit of faith like a mustard seed (Matthew 13:32). So use the faith every one of us has and exercise it based on the clear teachings of Christ in John 15. Like the Galatians, learn to trust Christ’s power to save and to sanctify. And in the meantime, quit beating yourself up for something you never had to begin with. The sanctified life is not about working hard to get it right so we can present ourselves before God to receive the blessings we’re convinced He owes us or we desire. It is about coming before Him as we are, honestly pretending about nothing, becoming increasingly convinced that we can’t get it right even though we sincerely want change and put ourselves in environments for change, then listening for the whisper of the Spirit, >Welcome! You’re home again. You’re still loved. I saved you. And I’ll sanctify you. You are pardoned. And I will empower any necessary change in you. In My time.’ (26) This earthly life may provide rich blessings, or it may not. Even for life long sincerely devoted Christians. But the good news is, either way, you can know God! And according to Galatians 4:3,9, He can know you.
So relax. Smile. Breathe in His presence. Be yourself. He knows your heart anyway. It’s not like your fooling anybody. Ellen White says in Steps to Christ that the right action of the will is the key to victorious living in Christ (Steps to Christ, 47). While you cannot change yourself, you can, by God’s grace through faith, because you’re weak enough to fall to your knees, exercise your will and ability to decide to come again to Jesus.
Christians who are truly living a life worth living are happy because they know Jesus is not asking them to do something impossible. They do not bathe before they approach God. They come to God for the bath. They feel no pressure to change either their inner life or their outer life, but they desire change in both places trusting God to will and to do in them what He promised to will and to do in heaven and on earth (Philippians 1:6; 2:13). These set apart Christians, growing in grace and favor and faith, are eager to do whatever will create the opportunity for change even if it means dipping themselves 7 times in a muddy river or marching around an enemy’s wall for 7 days blowing trumpets or rubbing mud and spit in their eyes, entering rehab again, chewing gum instead of nicotine, whatever. These sanctified Christians humbly crave any opportunity for change even though they know, like Jeremiah 13:23's leopard, that they cannot change their “spots”.
But to many people, trusting God to save and sanctify them will sound a little loony. A whole lot crazy. Far from the norm. But not to Jesus. Or to those that love Him. For their greatest desire of ages is to know Jesus and experience His presence. Which is significantly, the only way to experience His power. They trust God to continue to reveal Himself to them and to their children, however they’re raised and whatever they end up doing with their lives.
Larry Crabb tells the following story (31). Imagine living under a powerful ruler who could prosper your life or blow you out of the water. Suppose he gave a series of commands that, if followed, would be rewarded with extravagant luxuries, but if disobeyed in any detail whatsoever, would result in death. Further imagine that his laws included the requirements to never complain, to never irritably snap at anyone, to always put others’ needs ahead of yours. Keep the law perfectly and enjoy unlimited blessings. Break one, just once, and you die. And be aware, your ruler has eyes and spies everywhere. No misstep will go unnoticed. If you managed to measure up to his standards for a time, you couldn’t rest in the blessings he gave. You’d be too worried about making a mistake. Life would not be worth living. But if someone delivered you from that arrangement, not because the law was unfair but because you weren’t good enough to keep it, if someone found a way to let you live as a beloved son or daughter of the king with a royal position established not by performance but by relationship, you would be profoundly grateful. Right? Your one thought would be to get to know that person, to draw near to Him. Right?
That story isn’t a fairy tale. According to Hebrews 11, it happened. For Abel. Enoch. Noah. Abraham. Sarah. Jacob. Isaac. Joseph. Moses. Rahab. Gideon. Barak. Samson. David. Samuel. The list includes men and women. Young and old. Some of whom were initially in and outside of the church. Who lived a life worth living by grace through faith in the coming Christ. If you come and keep coming to Jesus, abiding in Him, exercising your will and your mustard seed sized faith, it will grow and we will add our names to that list from this side of the cross. Rightly understood, our relationship with God has never depended on our performance or ability to change our lives. None of the those folks in Hebrews 11 are there because after conversion, they willed themselves to live a sanctified life. No, they’re in there because they realized they couldn’t so instead chose to live by faith! And they are there to remind us that we can do the same thing! James 4:10 says “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.” We can yield control over what happens in our lives and trust God to do whatever He thinks best. And if we do, a hundred parents who love Jesus and train their children to love Jesus will rear a greater number of children who love Jesus too. For influence is real. But control is not. Good parents sometimes have bad kids.
So is God a vending machine? Does He owe us anything? Malachi 3 says if we trust Him with our tithes and offerings, He will open the gates of heaven so we will not have room enough to receive it. But nowhere does it say those floodgates will have dollar signs! Could it be the prosperity God wants us to receive is in quality of relationship, unity in the church, peace in a war torn world, love in our hearts, and assurance galore? Proverbs says over and over in different ways how it makes sense to make Jesus Lord of your life and time and talents and treasure and temple. To live wisely and well as parents and spouses and friends. Why? Because influence is real. It’s the only sermon some folks will ever hear. It’s the only book some folks will ever read. But control is not real. And God would rather we experience His presence instead of trying to control His blessings however they’re defined.
Until we do, and we develop a taste for God, we will continue to prefer the blessings from God over a relationship with God. And because even converted Christians prefer control over trust, we are easily tempted to return to a more comfortable understanding of Christianity and our role in it. One that we can control. For example, work hard and you’ll likely earn enough money to enjoy life. Or, God helps those who help themselves. Or, keep at it and failure could become success. Or, be a parent, not a buddy, and your children will turn out great. No wonder Paul told the Galations, “We were in slavery under the basic principles of the world...But now that you know God-or rather are known by God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Paul’s like, “Don’t do it. That’s not what God meant. That’s never what God had in mind for us.” But often we do. We’re comfortable with the familiar. We prefer rules to relationship. The familiar to faith. Because faith is just a little too risky.
And when we return to the principles of this world, we’re taking God’s job away from Him. We’re assuming we can change ourselves or manipulate the outcome of our children’s lives. Are we sincere? Sure! We even quote texts while we do so. But what the Bible describes as principles of influence we take as conditions of control. And in doing so, we turn God into a vending machine and our Christianity strays away from Hebrews 11. We insist on retaining control over how things turn out. We say, “I trust the Lord,” when we really mean, “I trust Him to honor my efforts to live well by giving me the blessings I want.” We say, “I love the Lord,” but we really mean, “I love the blessings He provides and the blessings I believe He has promised me in this life and in the life to come.” And in doing so, millions of Christians are living as if there’s nothing better ahead. But this need not be for Adventists or anyone else. Perhaps we were raised up for such a time as this. Not only to trumpet the sacred truths in Scripture about what happens when you die, what day is the Lord’s day, or how we can live in good health and happiness, but also to remind everyone around the world that there is a greater joy than experiencing the blessings available in this life. For God is not only the means of blessing. He Himself is the blessing! And we must seek Him and know Him (John 17:3) to live a life worth living.
But the Bible doesn’t sell more copies each year than all of Harry Potter’s books combined because it contains helpful principles of influence. It sells well because if we read it, it reveals how we can get to know Jesus and abide in His presence whether we get what the world thinks of His blessings or not. When any ambition other than drawing near to Jesus assumes first place significance in our hearts, whether the ambition is blatantly self serving or a principle of influence sincerely mistaken as a condition for control, we’ve turned God into a Coke machine. And that has never been His intention or will for Himself or for us. To live a life worth living, we must start or rekindle a relationship with Him because knowing Him is the blessing. And the good news is, all of us are weak enough to do that. We can all fall out of bed and spend time with Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of pretending I’m strong. Wise. Deserving. Or good enough. I want change. Inside and out. I fall short so many times. But I can’t change. I want blessings in this life, for me and my children. After all, who wouldn’t? But I cannot, nor do I want to any more, control what and how and when or even if we get them. Why? Because I am learning to trust the God who gives them will do so in His time according to His will. Make no mistake, influence is real. And Christianity is a practical way to live a good life. But neither of those are eternally significant good goals. A life worth living is only worth living because Jesus lives. In heaven and if we ask Him to, in our hearts. Is that your desire? Would you raise your hand if you want a life worth living?
I’d like to close with Eugene Peterson’s take on Paul words found in Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message). They’ve become a personal benediction for me in my quiet time with Jesus and I pray they become your goal too. “I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
(#) indicate page numbers based on chapters 1-6 of Larry Crabb’s The Pressure’s Off. Waterbrook Press, 2002.
Millions of Christians are following Jesus to gain a better life of blessings now. We think it’s our birthright. That God owes us. But God is not a vending machine. Put some faith in. Get some good stuff out. And deep down, I think we know that. Because suffering happens whether Christians pray or not. Godly people grow old and weak. Faithful servants of Christ fail in ministry. Some die young. Sincere followers of Jesus feel depressed and unsettled and hate the pride and insecurity that remain within them after years of living for Christ as best they knew. So God is not a vending machine. And we know the abundant sanctified life worth living doesn’t work that way. But sometimes, we smuggle our own version of it into our Christian understanding.
How? Like this. We say if you want good kids, raise them according to Scriptural principles. If you want a good marriage, understand a biblical model for marriage and live up to it as closely as you can. If you want God to bless your ministry, follow Godly principles of leadership. If you want to be emotionally healthy, practice spiritual disciplines. If you want close friends, learn to accept yourself and to be vulnerable, authentic, and forgiving. And we disguise it with Scripture. We quote “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” Or “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” expecting all our plans to go well and Godly children to be raised that stay in the church.
But even when we follow as best we can these principles of influence, it still doesn’t always happen that way does it! So sometimes we become hurt, fearful, or frustrated with our Christian life making room for anger, doubt, and depression to take over. We want the good life of blessings for ourselves and our children, but we find ourselves in the same situation as Israel: we can’t keep our part of the bargain.
Deuteronomy 29:9 says, “Carefully follow the terms of the covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.” But when God instructed His people to do so, the standard was perfection and they couldn’t get it right. The shocking thing to many Christians this side of the cross, even after conversion and baptism, is we can’t either. They think they couldn’t perfectly obey before conversion because they were sinners. But that after conversion, they should be able to do so. But to combat this mistaken notion of the sanctified life, let us again look at 2 texts. The first is Ellen White’s favorite passage in Scripture she preached on which is found in John 15. Jesus Himself, describing the sanctified life of a believer following conversion, says, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” But Philippians 4:13 adds, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” So what is the common denominator? Your effort? Before or after conversion? No. It is Christ. Before and after conversion. He is key to Victorious Living. He is the One and only One capable of giving victory. Yet still I hear life long Christians talking about gaining the victory over something in their life as if it is something they can achieve. No, that’s not our job. Our job is to come and keep coming to Jesus trusting His power to pardon and empower, to save and to sanctify, to tame and transform our lives in His time.
The bottom line is we didn’t do anything to merit heaven and we cannot do anything to merit a life worth living on earth either. The quicker you come to that conclusion the happier your life will be. But millions of Christians are following Jesus to gain a better life of blessings. We enter the Christian life by getting saved, by trusting Jesus to pay for our sins; but then we proceed to teach our children to live the Christian life by getting it right so God will bless them the way they want. But 2 Peter 3:18 implies we should be doing otherwise. It says we are to grow in grace and faith and hope and love and not in blessings or victories however we define them.
We’ve been saying for a while now it’s about who you know. But what Galations 4:3,9 adds is it’s also about who knows you! Galations 4:3,9 describes the sanctified life this way. “We were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But now that you know God-or rather are known by God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?”
It’s interesting, the Greek word for principles there means sequence. It’s a word used by the Greeks to refer to elements in sequence like letters in the alphabet. That verse says the basic sequential vending machine understanding of Christianity came not from God, but from the world, the basic principles of the what? The world. And sometimes it appears they work. Or graduation commencement speakers would be out of business. But they don’t always work. Even for the Christian. Why? Because a life worth living is about abiding in the presence of Jesus not His blessings however they’re defined. We are saved by grace and just as importantly, we grow by His grace in His time.
Our job is not to transform our lives or secure blessings. Our job, even after conversion, is to abide in Christ. He is the common denominator. He alone is responsible for changing people’s lives. So why doesn’t God trust us to change our own lives and habits and addictions? Because He knows, even if we we’re sincere, that we can’t! He knows we are sovereign over nothing! Luke 17:10 (NIV) says after we have obeyed and done everything we can do, Jesus says we are still to call ourselves “unworthy servants.” We’re like Switzerland. We’re a country, an identity, we’re on the map. But we have no army and can fight no wars. Which is why James 4:7-8 implies we must trust our Commander in Chief for that. And because from the world’s perspectives, He lost. From the world’s perspective, so will we.
So much so that even converted Christians will be tempted to think that lack of change and life transformation in their Christian witness and walk must be their fault. They weren’t good parents. They weren’t good spouses. They weren’t providers. Whatever. But in matters of faith for the converted Christian, this is one time I can think of when perception is not reality. Why? Because from God’s perspective, from the Bible’s perspective of faith and trust, control is an illusion. We don’t have any and never will. Janet Jackson was wrong in the 80's. Jesus is the only one in control. The common denominator is Jesus!
The Bible says everyone has been born with a little bit of faith like a mustard seed (Matthew 13:32). So use the faith every one of us has and exercise it based on the clear teachings of Christ in John 15. Like the Galatians, learn to trust Christ’s power to save and to sanctify. And in the meantime, quit beating yourself up for something you never had to begin with. The sanctified life is not about working hard to get it right so we can present ourselves before God to receive the blessings we’re convinced He owes us or we desire. It is about coming before Him as we are, honestly pretending about nothing, becoming increasingly convinced that we can’t get it right even though we sincerely want change and put ourselves in environments for change, then listening for the whisper of the Spirit, >Welcome! You’re home again. You’re still loved. I saved you. And I’ll sanctify you. You are pardoned. And I will empower any necessary change in you. In My time.’ (26) This earthly life may provide rich blessings, or it may not. Even for life long sincerely devoted Christians. But the good news is, either way, you can know God! And according to Galatians 4:3,9, He can know you.
So relax. Smile. Breathe in His presence. Be yourself. He knows your heart anyway. It’s not like your fooling anybody. Ellen White says in Steps to Christ that the right action of the will is the key to victorious living in Christ (Steps to Christ, 47). While you cannot change yourself, you can, by God’s grace through faith, because you’re weak enough to fall to your knees, exercise your will and ability to decide to come again to Jesus.
Christians who are truly living a life worth living are happy because they know Jesus is not asking them to do something impossible. They do not bathe before they approach God. They come to God for the bath. They feel no pressure to change either their inner life or their outer life, but they desire change in both places trusting God to will and to do in them what He promised to will and to do in heaven and on earth (Philippians 1:6; 2:13). These set apart Christians, growing in grace and favor and faith, are eager to do whatever will create the opportunity for change even if it means dipping themselves 7 times in a muddy river or marching around an enemy’s wall for 7 days blowing trumpets or rubbing mud and spit in their eyes, entering rehab again, chewing gum instead of nicotine, whatever. These sanctified Christians humbly crave any opportunity for change even though they know, like Jeremiah 13:23's leopard, that they cannot change their “spots”.
But to many people, trusting God to save and sanctify them will sound a little loony. A whole lot crazy. Far from the norm. But not to Jesus. Or to those that love Him. For their greatest desire of ages is to know Jesus and experience His presence. Which is significantly, the only way to experience His power. They trust God to continue to reveal Himself to them and to their children, however they’re raised and whatever they end up doing with their lives.
Larry Crabb tells the following story (31). Imagine living under a powerful ruler who could prosper your life or blow you out of the water. Suppose he gave a series of commands that, if followed, would be rewarded with extravagant luxuries, but if disobeyed in any detail whatsoever, would result in death. Further imagine that his laws included the requirements to never complain, to never irritably snap at anyone, to always put others’ needs ahead of yours. Keep the law perfectly and enjoy unlimited blessings. Break one, just once, and you die. And be aware, your ruler has eyes and spies everywhere. No misstep will go unnoticed. If you managed to measure up to his standards for a time, you couldn’t rest in the blessings he gave. You’d be too worried about making a mistake. Life would not be worth living. But if someone delivered you from that arrangement, not because the law was unfair but because you weren’t good enough to keep it, if someone found a way to let you live as a beloved son or daughter of the king with a royal position established not by performance but by relationship, you would be profoundly grateful. Right? Your one thought would be to get to know that person, to draw near to Him. Right?
That story isn’t a fairy tale. According to Hebrews 11, it happened. For Abel. Enoch. Noah. Abraham. Sarah. Jacob. Isaac. Joseph. Moses. Rahab. Gideon. Barak. Samson. David. Samuel. The list includes men and women. Young and old. Some of whom were initially in and outside of the church. Who lived a life worth living by grace through faith in the coming Christ. If you come and keep coming to Jesus, abiding in Him, exercising your will and your mustard seed sized faith, it will grow and we will add our names to that list from this side of the cross. Rightly understood, our relationship with God has never depended on our performance or ability to change our lives. None of the those folks in Hebrews 11 are there because after conversion, they willed themselves to live a sanctified life. No, they’re in there because they realized they couldn’t so instead chose to live by faith! And they are there to remind us that we can do the same thing! James 4:10 says “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.” We can yield control over what happens in our lives and trust God to do whatever He thinks best. And if we do, a hundred parents who love Jesus and train their children to love Jesus will rear a greater number of children who love Jesus too. For influence is real. But control is not. Good parents sometimes have bad kids.
So is God a vending machine? Does He owe us anything? Malachi 3 says if we trust Him with our tithes and offerings, He will open the gates of heaven so we will not have room enough to receive it. But nowhere does it say those floodgates will have dollar signs! Could it be the prosperity God wants us to receive is in quality of relationship, unity in the church, peace in a war torn world, love in our hearts, and assurance galore? Proverbs says over and over in different ways how it makes sense to make Jesus Lord of your life and time and talents and treasure and temple. To live wisely and well as parents and spouses and friends. Why? Because influence is real. It’s the only sermon some folks will ever hear. It’s the only book some folks will ever read. But control is not real. And God would rather we experience His presence instead of trying to control His blessings however they’re defined.
Until we do, and we develop a taste for God, we will continue to prefer the blessings from God over a relationship with God. And because even converted Christians prefer control over trust, we are easily tempted to return to a more comfortable understanding of Christianity and our role in it. One that we can control. For example, work hard and you’ll likely earn enough money to enjoy life. Or, God helps those who help themselves. Or, keep at it and failure could become success. Or, be a parent, not a buddy, and your children will turn out great. No wonder Paul told the Galations, “We were in slavery under the basic principles of the world...But now that you know God-or rather are known by God-how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” Paul’s like, “Don’t do it. That’s not what God meant. That’s never what God had in mind for us.” But often we do. We’re comfortable with the familiar. We prefer rules to relationship. The familiar to faith. Because faith is just a little too risky.
And when we return to the principles of this world, we’re taking God’s job away from Him. We’re assuming we can change ourselves or manipulate the outcome of our children’s lives. Are we sincere? Sure! We even quote texts while we do so. But what the Bible describes as principles of influence we take as conditions of control. And in doing so, we turn God into a vending machine and our Christianity strays away from Hebrews 11. We insist on retaining control over how things turn out. We say, “I trust the Lord,” when we really mean, “I trust Him to honor my efforts to live well by giving me the blessings I want.” We say, “I love the Lord,” but we really mean, “I love the blessings He provides and the blessings I believe He has promised me in this life and in the life to come.” And in doing so, millions of Christians are living as if there’s nothing better ahead. But this need not be for Adventists or anyone else. Perhaps we were raised up for such a time as this. Not only to trumpet the sacred truths in Scripture about what happens when you die, what day is the Lord’s day, or how we can live in good health and happiness, but also to remind everyone around the world that there is a greater joy than experiencing the blessings available in this life. For God is not only the means of blessing. He Himself is the blessing! And we must seek Him and know Him (John 17:3) to live a life worth living.
But the Bible doesn’t sell more copies each year than all of Harry Potter’s books combined because it contains helpful principles of influence. It sells well because if we read it, it reveals how we can get to know Jesus and abide in His presence whether we get what the world thinks of His blessings or not. When any ambition other than drawing near to Jesus assumes first place significance in our hearts, whether the ambition is blatantly self serving or a principle of influence sincerely mistaken as a condition for control, we’ve turned God into a Coke machine. And that has never been His intention or will for Himself or for us. To live a life worth living, we must start or rekindle a relationship with Him because knowing Him is the blessing. And the good news is, all of us are weak enough to do that. We can all fall out of bed and spend time with Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of pretending I’m strong. Wise. Deserving. Or good enough. I want change. Inside and out. I fall short so many times. But I can’t change. I want blessings in this life, for me and my children. After all, who wouldn’t? But I cannot, nor do I want to any more, control what and how and when or even if we get them. Why? Because I am learning to trust the God who gives them will do so in His time according to His will. Make no mistake, influence is real. And Christianity is a practical way to live a good life. But neither of those are eternally significant good goals. A life worth living is only worth living because Jesus lives. In heaven and if we ask Him to, in our hearts. Is that your desire? Would you raise your hand if you want a life worth living?
I’d like to close with Eugene Peterson’s take on Paul words found in Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message). They’ve become a personal benediction for me in my quiet time with Jesus and I pray they become your goal too. “I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.
(#) indicate page numbers based on chapters 1-6 of Larry Crabb’s The Pressure’s Off. Waterbrook Press, 2002.
