Our Ways, His Ways

The ways of humans have forged deeply furrowed tracks through time and history.

One must win, the other must lose.

I am righteous and you are not.

My ways are justified, yours have no merit.

I deserve, you have not earned my rights.

God is on my side, you are his enemy.

Might is right, intelligence superior, who you know counts for everything.

Weakness, vulnerability, and even generosity of spirit get you nowhere.

The list could go on… and in all our politicking today these themes run loud and tough through the rhetoric. In the name of many gods, ideologies, grievances, and worldviews. Christians are right in the midst of this, the light has dimmed, the salt rather tasteless.

Reframe the above in the light of Jesus’ revelation of the ways of God, His father, and ours.

One must lay down, serve, for the other to ‘win’, be lifted up.

No one is righteous other than that which has been gifted to them by God.

Your ways have no merit unless justified by me (God),

No one earns rights, they are gifted through grace and mercy – for all of humanity.

All of us have strayed from God’s ways. All of us are his children with whom He seeks reconciliation and restoration.

Having a servant heart is your strength, humility is the hallmark of love, knowing God through Jesus counts for everything.

The meek shall inherit the earth, those who build on the rock, those who take the plank out of their eye shall see.

When the disciples followed Jesus it was no easy walk in the park. They were constantly misunderstanding, getting crossed wires, drawing the wrong conclusion.

Let fire rain down on those inhospitable Samaritans! Absolutely not!

Children, leave Jesus alone. Let them come to me.

Jesus, stop talking about your death and the Cross. Get behind me satan, you don’t care about the things of God.

You will never wash my feet, how embarrassing. Unless I wash your feet you have no part of me.

Jesus, we can’t feed this multitude, impossible. Bring them to me…

Who can ever qualify and be good enough? What is impossible for a man or a woman is possible for God.

Jesus was not so spiritual that His message required no translation through the human form. He spoke against evil, called religious leaders to change their priorities, was silent before Pilate, was betrayed, and inevitably killed. His Father raised him from the dead!

John the Baptist called Herod to account and was beheaded.

Stephen, Peter, and Paul faced resistance, flogging, ridicule, and ultimately death when their witness to Jesus’ and His ways conflicted with religion, politics, self-interest, and expediency.

One wonders what they would make of our times, how we live, what we say, what is manifest through our ways?

I’m not too confident they’d be impressed by me. Don’t know about you?