Comments on: What Does God Want? (Pt. 2)

By: Todd

Todd — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:03:12 +0000

Joe, good thoughts. I once heard it said current trends in spirituality amount to little more than spiritual masturbation – we look for ways to intensify our feelings so we can feel better about ourselves. Once the feeling comes it lasts only momentarily and to the benefit of not one. We then go in search of our next tryst. We may need to push much further than “my own personal Jesus” and not worry about who objects or finds offense. Todd

By: Van Edwards

Van Edwards — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:01:45 +0000

Joe, thanks for this. I’m teaching through 1 John and the apostle keeps coming back to this again and again. If you say you know Him and don’t walk as he walked, then you’re a liar.
Loving God is not some internalized feeling that we flex once or twice a week at church. Nor is walking with Christ holding hands in a lush garden, basking in the sunlight and smelling the roses. The walk is hard and requires following him over treacherous ground and sacrifice.
Bible reading and prayer are great ways to start a day and get your bearings, but like a breath, once you inhale, you need to exhale to keep breathing.

I can relate to Steve’s comment (#1) regarding good or bad days correlating with private devotions. I’ve noted before that when I have had an especially good time in the scriptures and/or prayer, it’s followed by a crummy day! Devotions are definately not a silver bullet for a “good”day. But God does require us to be “doers” – of justice, mercy, humility – rather than hearers only, regardless to what kind of day we have.

By: Jamie Arpin-Ricci

Jamie Arpin-Ricci — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:57:31 +0000

Excellent post. I have been encouraged to see a theology of justice begin to emerge in Church circles (see http://www.micahchallenge.org). What seperates true justice from simple acts of mercy (both being important), is that mercy serves an immediate need and justice seeks to deal appropriately with the systemic cause of said need. Now, I know this is an over-simplification, but it certainly gives us a picture.

So, while personal devotion and service is important, we need to see how God has moved through His people throughout history, especially where justice was concerned. The Old Testament prophets dealt largely with injustice by addressing systemic failures in governments and larger communities of faith.

All this to say, well done!

Peace,
Jamie

By: Scott M

Scott M — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:12:24 +0000

If all God had wanted was a bunch of distinct, individual personal relationships with his followers in order to love them and enrich them there would have been little need for most of the gospel and New Testament. I think the view most people seem to take of “love” is that it involves a feeling, a mental attitude, or a certain quality to a close relationship. While that can be a part of it, it is certainly not the extent. If it were, we would not have the second part of what Scot McKnight calls the Jesus Creed.

Love God with all we are. How? Acoording to Jesus and John and many of the rest of the NT authors, by obeying his commands. What are his commands? Follow his Son (in other words, do the sorts of things and live the sort of life he did) demonstrating love for God and love others. How do we love others? By trying to accomplish good for them. As Paul puts, offer ourselves a living sacrifice. As James puts, real worship is feeding the orphans and widows.

Although we tend to use different words for it today, I’m not sure I see any way love and justice can be split. Do you love someone? If so, you will seek justice on their behalf. Can those who have a faith solely of a personal relationship (on their terms, I guess) with God truly be said to be obeying his commands? And if not, what are the implications?

I’m fairly lousy at this myself. My wife is much, much better. She seems to intuitively sense the need others have and can respond out of the blue with what appears to have been needed to meet that need. But I don’t attempt to justify the reality that I need to do better.

The second half of the Pope’s recent encyclical on love was devoted to caritas, the love of others expressed in tangible expressions of justice and charity. That encyclical contained a lot that was extremely good and focused almost entirely on the two components of the Jesus Creed, though it did not call it by that name.

By: Steve Mayes

Steve Mayes — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:38:28 +0000

I have two comments in support of your viewpoint here, neither of which are original to me:

First, a friend in seminary often said that too many Christians have an almost sacramental view of daily devotions or their quiet time with God. Have we not all heard people who say that their days just seem to go better when they are able to spend time with God. While that may be true, it is not necessarily the case. I’ve had some pretty difficult days and significant problems on days when I’ve had wonderful experiences of private devotions. A private time of Scripture reading and prayer is an important part of our relationship with the Lord – but it’s not an “aspirin a day” cure all which wards away difficulty or trouble.

Second, one of my church members has used the term “spiritual gluttony” to describe members who attend weekly Bible studies in addition to the studies offered at our church. Yet, from all outward appearances, there appears to be little change in their lives where spiritual maturity or fruit is concerned. All of these studies have not yielded an increase in service in the church nor in outreach to those without Christ.

From my own experience, I think that your post here is correct. We may be drinking living water, but we are acting as reservoirs instead of channels to offer that living water to the spritually thirsty. May God help us.