So Very Different

Christianity, and living as a disciple of Jesus, makes absolutely no sense unless it blesses others and radiates the love of the Father in a twisted and orphaned world. Beliefs are easy to declare and debate. Lifestyle is the test and witness of the truth flowing from the heart.

It’s become tiresome declaring how exhausting it is, and traumatic, to witness events around the world. Hate, greed, anger, violence, power corruption, falsehoods,… abound. And many, who claim to believe in a good God are unashamedly aligned behind multiple perpetrators; because the end justifies the means, apparently.

How many times do we quote passages about God? Most popular:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

I don’t believe God is endorsing most of what we witness. He’s not cheering one against the other, thumping his chest in pride over the exploits of his children. As Jesus wept over Jerusalem he no doubt weeps over that same land today, and the rest of the world… How I longed that they would come to me…. (Matthew 23:37)

We have favorites, political parties, the good guys, and the bad guys. So unlike God who has none. Way back in the Old Testament it says:

For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe. (Deuteronomy 10:17)

Peter was raised and deeply rooted in traditional Judaism. Until Jesus opened his eyes to stop regarding those who were not Jews (the Gentiles) as unclean and worthless.

Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, (Acts 10:34)

Paul was more militant than Netanyahu when he persecuted Christians. Jesus changed his life, his heart, his perspective, and his attitude.

For God does not show favoritism. (Romans 2:11)

Perhaps the parable that most captures the heart of God is the one Jesus told about the shepherd and his one lost sheep. Ninety-nine of his flock were safely gathered for the night, and yet he insisted on going out to search for the one who was missing. Finding his lost sheep he hoisted it onto his shoulders and returned home rejoicing that the one who was lost was now found, and restored. And he recounted that story to people who regarded themselves as righteous, spiritual, with God on their side.

Or finally, Jesus washing his disciples’ feet, even Judas. having previously taught them about caring for those in need. The gathering of all nations and separating ‘us’ into sheep and goats….. not for what we believed, but for how we lived and treated one another.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’

How very different He (God/Jesus) is. The further we live from him the more assumptions we make, pride and self-assurance swells, the less love is extended, the smaller the grace we show, the less our heart extends to all people, everywhere, all the time. Not so much sacrifice, not much mercy, humility shriveled, kindness conditional, forgiveness depends….. excuses multiply.

Songs like this below are no longer music to our ears, or flowing from our mouths…..

The good news is that God loves us as well. It’s never too late to change, to see, to rediscover, to stop and turn, to come closer again; with Peter, Paul, and every disciple through the ages who did the same.