I Need a God Who is Greater Than Me

Matthew 26:31-35

31 On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike* the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” 33 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. 

As I have been praying about this new year and what I most need, I am confident that the Lord is calling me to something greater than ourselves. 

I’ll be honest, I am pretty selfish. I am selfish because I can be unselfish if I try. I have to try not to be self-centered. I have to try not be the center of my own life. 

My struggle is that I live in a world that tells me that I should be the center of my own world. It’s all about me. I seem to think that the whole world wants and maybe even needs me to instagram them a picture of me everyday, to tweet them my whereabouts, and facebook them my newest thought for the day. Why, because I AM important.

I am the center and creator of my own story. I have the right to choose my life path. I AM in charge of my own life. I can do anything I want to do.Why? Because I AM GOOD ENOUGH, I AM SMART ENOUGH, AND DOG GONNIT, PEOPLE LIKE ME!!!!

I really believe that I have got to begin to see things from a new perspective. I have got to approach life from a new angle. I have got to see that there is something greater than me that I can give my life to. That everything I need and truly want in life is not found in me. 

What I need is something GREATER THAN ME!!! I need a God that is Greater than Me. 

Now if I say, God is greater than me, I think, “Yeah of course, God is greater than me. That is really an easy statement to agree with. Why wouldn't I think that God is Greater than me. Um... He is God.”

Here’s the problem. I don’t usually live like I understand that God is greater than me. As long as I am the central person within my own life, I am saying that I am greater than God. I am a lot like Peter in Matthew 26.

v.31-32 — Jesus is laying out what is about to happen. He tells his disciples the things are about to go down. You are all gonna dessert me tonight. And I am gonna die. But, I am going to be raised from the dead, so meet me in Galilee after this whole thing is done. Jesus has just told them he is going to die and come back, but all they heard was you are going to leave me.

v.33 — Peter steps up and says it doesn’t matter what everyone else does, I’m not gonna leave you! 

Upon hearing the most amazing declaration — that Jesus would rise from the dead, he feels the need to move the attention off of Jesus’ resurrection and onto his own perceived future success. He has heard the truth that gives the Gospel power, Jesus is going to conquer death! And his reaction is, “hold on Jesus, I’m not gonna leave you.” In the midst of Jesus declaring the single most powerful event that has ever happened in human history, Peter feels the need to put himself in the center of the story and move the attention off of the good news, Jesus is going to rise from the dead to himself and how he is not gonna fail because he is gonna try REALLY HARD. 

v.34 — Jesus takes things a step further with Peter. He looks at him says, if you want to be the center of this story, you will not only fail, but your failure will be EPIC!!!

v.35 — Peter still doesn’t get it. He continues forcing his way into the center of the story again. “Even if I have to die...” (So far, Jesus has said that he was the only one who was going to die. Why is Peter trying to put himself in the spot Jesus said was his?) I will never deny you.

In other words, I CAN DO THIS!

I can’t tell you how many times I have done this! I put myself in the center of a story that is all about Jesus and I have the same mantra Peter does.

I CAN DO THIS. And like Peter I try really hard!

Skip down to verse 47

The book of John tells me that the guy waving the sword around like an idiot, the guy trying really hard, the only guy who is fighting, the guy that attacks a slave instead of someone with a weapon is Peter. 

He is trying really hard...

I CAN DO THIS! 

I CAN DO THIS!

I CAN DO THIS!

I do this so often with my life. I put myself at the center and say I can do this! My teacher told me I can be anything I want to be if I put my mind to it. My mommy told me I do anything I want to do I just try really hard. If I do my best, I can win the Superbowl, World Series, a Nobel prize, the Lottery and America’s next top model in the same year!

And everything about our lives begins with the letter i. And I tell people how great I AM. I forget that there is only one GREAT I AM.

I put myself at the center of my own life when I am meant to look to someone else at the center of my life. Man at the center of human history is destroys us. Think what happens when Adam interjects his own will and ideas into creation. In the same way, me at the center of my own life destroys me. 

Jesus is meant to be at the center of my story. I know this because on my own, I am pretty messed up. On my own, I can’t.

It’s not I can... It’s I can’t...

Like Peter, when I am at the center of the story, I can’t. THE GREATEST THREAT TO THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL IN MY HEART IS TO PUT ME AT THE CENTER OF IT. I need a God who is greater than me if I am going to do anything.

While everyone else may tell me to believe in myself and that I can do it, and all I need to do is try really hard, at the end of the day, I can’t.

I can’t... Make myself better

I can’t... Overcome sin

I can’t... Find joy or peace

I can’t... Know love or have hope

I can’t... Save myself

I can’t save myself because I am the problem. “The only thing that I have ever contributed to my salvation is the sin that made it necessary.” I need a God who is greater than me, because I can’t. The good news is I don’t have to. 

The center of the Gospel story is Jesus. It is all about what He DID. He lived a perfect life for me. He died for my sins. He did all the work for all of man kind. 

If his life, death and resurrection can have such a profound effect on the whole of humanity, what can it do in my heart? What can the work of Christ do to the trajectory of my life? How can I be changed? What can I become? It is not for me to decide, but for me to trust him. What could my life look like if I let Christ sit at the center of my life, directing, guiding, willing and working me for his good pleasure?

I Can't

I am self-conscious and insecure. There I said it. I worry about looking like a fool in public. I dread gaining too much weight. I am nervous that my short comings and ineptness will surface at the most inopportune times. Amazing how little thoughts can weigh my vision down.

I think that is one of the reasons I love the New Year. I can make my to do list of self improvements. I can survey my life and tell myself that if I read more I won't be foolish. If I have a work out and drink less Mountain Dew I can replace my keg with a six pack. If tweak this and overhaul that my friends and family will never see my imperfections. Then I can hold my head high.

One problem... I do this every year.

It is becoming clear to me that I can't fix me. No amount of trying, training, or teaching will make me who I am called to be. I cannot discipline or will myself into a better me.

I can't...

I can't...

I CAN'T!!!

I am finding so much freedom in those words. Whatever "fixing" I need, I can't do it. What is even better, I don't have to.

"work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." - Philippians 2:12-13

I recently read that the only thing I can contribute to my salvation and sanctification is the sin that makes them necessary. I can't fix me but I don't have to because it is God's work to fix me. It is God's work to change me and shape me for His good pleasure. I am free to live. Free to be.

I am free not to try to save myself with a list of rules. I am free to bury myself under mountains of condemnation because of my imperfections. I am free to move past my failures. I am no longer a slave to sin and therefore no longer need to create a personal law to show me when I have strayed.

I can't, but Christ can. Knowing that it is He who is at work in my life, what I need is Him. So my focus is no longer on what I can't do — fix myself. And on what I can do — know Christ. And I as seek to know Him better I find that He is at work in me willing and working me for His good pleasure. All the fixing I couldn't do on my own, I find he is doing for me.

So what if I can't. He can.

The Cost of Your Vision

Have you ever read the job description and qualifications for your dream job? Honestly, have you ever taken the time to look through what is required to do the jobs you want to do?

Lets say you wanted to be an astronaut...

Education:
A bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics.

Experience:
Three years of related professional experience is also necessary. An advanced degree can be substituted for experience. Teaching experience, at any level, qualifies.

Pilots:
Pilot candidates must have logged at least 1,000 hours in command of jet aircraft.

Physical Requirements:
Applicants must pass the NASA long-duration space-flight physical. This requires visual acuity, correctable to 20/20; blood pressure no higher than 140/90; and height, between 5 feet, 2 inches and 6 feet, 3 inches.

Selection Process:
A week of interviews, orientation and a complete medical evaluation precede selection. Background investigations of successful candidates are conducted.

How about a Neurosurgeon...

Education:
The training to be a neurosurgeon takes at least 14 years: four years as an undergraduate, four years in medical school and six years in residency. In addition, many neurosurgeons spend time conducting research before they begin practicing.

Maybe you dream of being president...

According to the Constitution, all candidates for president must be at least 35, and be natural born citizens and residents of the Unites States for at least 14 years.

No matter what you want to be or do with your life, there is a process of becoming. You don’t just wake up and walk into your destiny. You go through this process called life and as God directs you, he uses every situation in your life to shape you.

This can be hard to understand. We often want skip to the end of processes. But when we do, we short circuit what God is doing in our hearts.

We fail to realize that we must become who we are called to be before we can do what we are called to do.

In Genesis 37, 39-41 we have the story of Joseph. Remember Joseph and his audacious, God-given dreams? Well, they didn’t exactly come true the way Joseph thought they would.

In Genesis 37, he is attacked by his brothers. First they plan to kill him. Then they decided to throw him in a well. Then they decide to sell him into slavery.

Skip to Genesis 39, Joseph is a now a slave in a man named Potiphar’s house in Egypt. Did Joseph sulk and complain? Did he give up? Not that we see in scripture. He served right were God placed him faithfully. So faithfully, that Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything in his house. Well, unfortunately, Potiphar’s wife had a thing for young Jewish boys.

Now to keep from offending anyone with cultural euphemisms, let me quote directly from scripture.

Genesis 39:6-15

So he left in Joseph's care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate. Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he refused. "With me in charge," he told her, "my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, "Come to bed with me!" But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. "Look," she said to them, "this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house."

So when Potiphar comes home, what do you think happens. He throws Joseph in prison. He’s got all these grand dreams and visions from God for his life but he seems nowhere near achieving them. Instead he is trapped in prison with a baker and waiter.

While in prison, he is interpreting dreams and watching his new friends leave prison or die. But he makes the best of it. While in prsion, he serves so faithfully that he is put in charge of the whole prison by the warden.

Then Pharoh has a dream. And his friend the waiter, tells Pharoah, I know a guy who can interpret dreams. Joseph is brought in front of Pharoah and God uses him to interrpret Pharoah’s dreams. Not only does Joseph interpret the Pharoah's dreams, he gives him a plan for of action.

Lets pick up the story in Genesis 41:37-43:

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God ?" Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you." So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way !" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

Do you see what has just happend?

This once spoiled, tattling, arrogant, kid has now become the man that God saw that he could be all along. It didn’t happen just because he dreamed. It didn’t happen because of who he was. It had notihing to do with who he was. It had everyithng to do with who God was shaping him to be.

God used the threat of death, being trapped in a well, slavery and prison to change who Joseph was and then he launched Joseph into his destiny.

Let me say it again, we must become WHO we are called to be before we can do WHAT we are called to do.

See What God Sees

I once ran across the following job decriptions for church staff. They are pretty funny, but inside the humor, is this subtle jab at youth pastors — as you read, see if you pick up on it:

Senior Pastor

* Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound
* More powerful than a locomotive
* Faster than a speeding bullet
* Walks on water
* Gives policies to God

Associate Pastor

* Able to leap short buildings in a single bound
* Almost as powerful as a locomotive
* Just as fast as a speeding bullet
* Walks on the water (if the sea is calm)
* Talks with God

Minister of Children

* Leaps short buildings with a running start
* Prefers toy trains to locomotives
* Faster than a speeding B-B
* Walks on water (if he knows where the rocks are)
* Talks with God if special request is approved

Minister of Music

* Can climb over a small building
* Falls off of locomotives
* Can fire a speeding bullet
* Swims well
* Is occasionally addressed by God

Youth Minister

* Runs into small buildings
* Recognizes a locomotive two out of three times
* Owns a squirt gun
* Knows how to use the water fountain
* Mumbles to himself

Church Secretary

* Picks up buildings and walks under them
* Knocks locomotives off of the tracks
* Catches speeding bullets in her teeth
* Freezes water with a single glance
* When God speaks, says, "May I ask who’s calling?"

Okay, maybe it wasn't so subtle. I completely understand the comedy. I even find it funny. But I also see that in someone's mind, the youth pastors are less that capable and have little to offer — talk about being undervalued!

I think everyone of us knows exactly how it feels to be undervalued. At some point or another in live, we have people look at us and see all our faults and failures and nothing else. They see us incapable, unqualified, and perhaps beyond useless, even by God.

No matter what we feel God speak to us, we are challenged by these individuals. They tell us all the reasons we can’t do this or that. They let us know that we are too immature, too young, too unfocused. You pick the the critique.

Welcome to Joseph’s world.

Genesis 37:
1 Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. 2 This is the account of Jacob. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, "Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it." 8 His brothers said to him, "Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?" And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. "Listen," he said, "I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me." 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, "What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?" 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

Here we have a young man who has received a God given vision for his life. Not only does this vision for his life seem impossible, his family is totally against him. His brothers literally hate him because of the vision he has for his life.

If we look at Joseph from his brothers perspective, it is easy to see why they would be angry — after all this is their younger brother. He is only about 17 years old. Some of his brothers have kids of their own. When they hear his vision, all they can think is you can’t even take care of yourself, and you are going to rule over us?

So when they look at him, they see a kid.

Not only is he young, only 17 years old. But man is he tattle tail.
Look at verse 2. Joseph sees his brothers out in the fields, when they are supposed to be doing their chores, and he sees that they were not doing what they were supposed to be doing. Maybe they were sleeping on the job… Maybe they were juggling with the lambs… whatever it was, he went and told daddy.

So his brothers look at him and they don’t just see a kid. They see a tattling kid.

Whats more, dear God he is spoiled. Their father gives him everything he wants…

For no reason at all, he is given this incredible coat… that is like your dad giving your youngest brother a brand new mustang… and you get nothing…

You gotta know that Jacob (Joseph’s father) has been doting on him his whole life. He has met every need Joseph has had for him. Not only that, he has supplied most of his wants as well.

So when his brothers look at him,they don’t just see a kid, they don’t just see a tattling kid, they see a spoiled, tattling kid.

To make it worse, he is arrogant. Can you imagine the gall it takes to look at your older brothers and tell them, “I had a dream that one day I am going to rule over you. I had a dream that one day, you are going to bow down to me.” But Joseph’s arrogance does not stop there. He even tells his parents, one day, you are going to bow down to me.

So when his family sees him, he is not just a kid. He is not just a tattling kid. He is not just a spoiled kid. He is an arrogant, tattling, spoiled brat, punk kid.

God looks down at Joseph and sees something different.

He recognizes Joseph’s age and says, you see a young kid. I see a heart that I can mold and change. I see a heart that I can form. I see a young man that I can position, not just within a family, not just within a country, but within history. I see a young man whose ministry will rescue and sustain the people of God for generations.

God recognizes that Joseph has been given so much. While his family sees a spoiled child, God sees a young man that has been well educated in the school of generosity. God sees a young man that will learn to give his gifts, talents, abilities — his very heart and soul — to save thousands if not millions of people.

God recognizes Joseph’s tattling and says, you see a young man selling out his brothers. I see the makings of a man of integrity. I see a young man who above all will honor me with his life because he refuses to back away from the principles and morales I have called him to.

God recognizes Joseph’s arrogance, but through it, he sees the confidence it takes to lead an entire area of the world through both the greatest season of abundance and the through the greatest hardship it would know for a long time.

You and I can sometimes have a bit of the older brother syndrome. We look at each other and we look at ourselves and we only see the surface things. We see each others short comings. We easily see how imperfect we are. We see the rough spots in each others personality. We see the character flaws.

We look into our own hearts and lives and see all the imperfections. We see all the things we are not and all the things we shouldn’t be.

But I challenge you to begin to see what God sees. God doesn’t look at you and just see what you are. He sees all that you could be. He sees everything you were meant to be. He sees what he has called you to do. Too often, we want to try and do only the things that we know we can do. We are afraid of the vision God puts in our hearts because it seems so impossible. It seems not us. It seems like it takes a better, stronger version of who we are. Or maybe it seems like the vision God puts in our hearts takes a whole different kind of person than who we are.

We for got that God tells us:

2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.”


Look into your own life and the lives of those around you and see what God sees. See all the potential God has placed inside. How do you realize all the potential? How do we help others realize that potential? It begins by seeing what God sees.

Ask For the Impossible

One of the greatest joys of my life is my two year old son Jackson. He is a little crazy and a lot fun. He has a very unique view of the world.

In Jackson’s world, chicken nuggets and french fries are really the only meal you need.

In Jackson’s world, his little brother is more of a pet than a person.

In Jackson’s world, his daddy can do anything… nothing is impossible for his daddy…

The things he cannot reach, daddy can get for him; the toys that are broken, daddy can fix; if he needs it, daddy can provide.It doesn’t matter how impossible it may be for him to do, he has complete confidence that his daddy can get it done.

I think that is the perspective we are meant to have when it comes to God. We should be able to ask God for anything and be completely confident that our heavenly father can handle it. The Bible talks about having faith like a child. The kind faith that asks for the impossible and almost takes for granted that it will get done.

I am reminded by a story in Joshua 10. Israel was on their way to taking the land God had promised them. They had allied themselves with a neighboring people and no sooner had they done that than those people were attacked by five kings and their armies. Israel came to the aid of their allies, routing the enemy. This is where we pick up the story:

Joshua 10:
11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the LORD hurled large hailstones down on them from the sky, and more of them died from the hailstones than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. 12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." 13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. 14 There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

What kind of prayer is that? Sun stand still? Who in their right mind asks for something so crazy? That is some intense faith. Notice that he doesn’t preface his prayer with anything. Here is this thing that is completely impossible and yet Joshua just throws it out there like its nothing. He doesn’t pause to think that he is literally asking God to stop time, to stop the earth from spinning, yet continue to sustain it on its axis. He doesn’t do all the astrophysics involved in literally altering the fluid movement of the universe, he just prays.

What is even crazier is that God answered his prayer.

I think we can learn a few things from Joshua and praying prayers of faith.

First, we must line our prayers up with God’s purposes. Joshua’s prayer was perfectly aligned with what God was doing. God had promised that he would give the people of Israel victory. Joshua knew God’s promises and lined his prayer up with what God was doing. You cannot ask God for the impossible for selfish reasons. God is not a slot machine in the sky spitting out winning lottery tickets to everyone asks. You cannot simply ask God for a million dollars because your birthday list is a little hefty.

However, you can discern the heart of God in any situation and ask God to do the impossible.

Second, I think it is important to go big and be specific. Joshua didn’t pray something like "just help me…" or "please help us defeat these guys."

So many times, I have been guilty of this. I start praying about this or that or for this person and here I am praying generic prayers that are so beneath a God who can do the impossible. I don’t think we always go big enough when we pray. It’s painful to think about how many times I have prayed small prayers over big situations because I just couldn’t let God be big enough in my heart to take over and do the impossible.

Praying possible prayers over impossible situations only communicates that we don't think God is big enough or strong enough to come through

If we are going to be people of faith, if we are going see the impossible, we have to ask for it by name.

Finally, we have to be confident. Notice Joshua doesn’t say, something like God, if you are willing. There is no question in Joshua’s mind that God can or that God wants to do it. He just throws it out there and trusts God to come through. That is faith.

When we are in a place where if God doesn’t come through, we will fail we are most likely in the very center of God’s will.

So here is Joshua, completely confident that God will do his part if he will just ask. What is more, he is so confident that he goes public with his prayer.

Look at verse 12,
On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel: "O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."

Joshua didn’t go hide and ask God, he did it in front of the whole nation of Israel. Alright God, here it is. We need this this imposible thing done and I am asking you to do it. And I am so confident that you can do it that I am going to pray this in front of absolutely everyone.

Too often we are too careful with our prayers. I think we hide these prayers sometimes because we are afraid of what will happen if God doesn’t do it. What if people hear us pray that and nothing happens? It doesn’t matter… It is not up to you to answer the prayer, just to pray it.

You and I can see the impossible, but we have to be audacious enough to ask for the impossible.

James 5
15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Just incase you are feeling a little timid about praying impossible prayers, remember John 14, Jesus said this,

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Tough Questions on a Bus part 2

Question two was much tougher. Why to people go to hell? Of course this questions did not stop there. We soon found ourselves chasing down who goes to hell and if there was more than one way to get to God.

I have to say, I really didn't like the answers I had to give to these questions. While I am confident in the accuracy of my answers, I could not have been more uncomfortable with them.

Let's break down the conversation a little:

Why do people go to hell?

Because they choose it. They reject God's free gift of forgiveness, love and grace. In doing so, they communicate that they do not want God.

What if they never hear about God?

Romans tells us that we are without excuse. Even creation is meant to point us towards God.

Is it true that Jesus is the only way?

Yes. Scripture could not be more clear. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father execpt through me."

There you have it... A simple conversation which made me very uncomfortable.

My discomfort derives very simply from the fact that no matter how I answered the questions, someone was going to hell. I could not dance through scriptures without tripping over that fact. I hate it. I hate that hell is an option. I hate that I have to believe in a hell. I hate that I have to believe good people will populate hell without Christ.

I love that the evilest, most violent, most depraved among us has hope of heaven through Christ. I despise that moms and dads, students, grandmas and grandpas who give generously to cancer research, work hard to support one another, get good grades, remain faithful to one another, enjoy good books and movies and music will find eternal residence in hell without Christ.

I fully understand and agree with the theological arguments of how we are all guilty and all sin is equal in God's eyes. Understanding and agreement do not equate liking and comfort with these ideas.

So I am left to wrestle with how do I deal with these answers. I cannot change the answers to the questions. If I could some how convince God to blot hell from scripture and remove the option of eternal punishment from humanity, I would quickly dedicate my days to doing so. But I know that is not going to happen.

The only response I have to such answers is to carry the message of Christ to as many as I possibly can. You see, I think the idea of people going to hell is supposed to make us uncomfortable. I think it makes God uncomfortable. It made him so uncomfortable that he came to this earth, lived among us and felt our hurts, and then took our, guilt, shame, and punishment on a cross.

My prayer is that God will never let us be comfortable with the fact that people around us will one day find themselves without hope in an eternal separation from God. I hope hell always makes us uncomfortable. So uncomfortable in fact, that we are forced to do something about it...

"snatch others from the fire and save them" - Jude 1:23

Tough Questions on a Bus part 1

As I on a bus this weekend surrounded by teenagers returning from our 2011 winter retreat, I was engaged by a few with honest questions which made their life with Christ a challenge. Truthfully, I totally related to their struggle — even attempting to answer their questions made me uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable, not because I didn't feel I could not answer their questions, but because I didn't like than answers I had to give.

The questions surrounded theodicy (the origin of evil) and why people go to hell. Granted, humanity has struggled with these questions for centuries and I can assure that in one bus ride I was not able to generate any answers for the ages. What I did manage to do was point the students towards the scripture for answers stir my own heart to begin wrestling with my own discomfort with the answers I had to give to these questions.

When addressing theodicy, I don't have definitive answers. But I do have a great deal of comfort with where my heart rests on the subject. The simplest way I know to put it is to begin defining terms. If we can all agree that evil is the opposite of God. Then any choice made (by men or fallen angels) creates and perpetuates evil. We therefore cannot point the finger at God for the presence of evil in the world. Rather we can point to Genesis 3 and blame the serpent and ourselves.

But God created us, doesn't that mean he created evil...

I suppose you could view it from that vantage point. However, the argument is strange. We do not typically punish or blame loving parents for their wayward children's decisions to break laws. To my knowledge, we have not imprisoned the parents of murderers and thieves.

Further, it is our ability to choose which creates the opportunity for love. Love with out freewill is not love. If we do not have the choice to obey commandments, choose relationship with God, or worship our creator we become incapable of love for God and subsequently each other.

Ahh, so by giving us a choice God created evil...

Again, the point of view has been expressed. If we are going this deep into the conversation, we must now begin to ask what our basic belief of God is. Do we believe he is a good God, desiring good things for creation? Or do we believe that God is maniacal, enjoying the struggles and tension of good versus evil and taking pleasure in man kinds challenge to navigate the two. I for one find a loving, benevolent, compassionate, and ultimately good God detailed in scripture. Therefore I must reject any explanation which makes God the author of evil.