Thursday, May 01, 2008

QUITTING THE GAME TO ENJOY THE PARTY

Found this article written by Aaron Pluim on the Ooze and it really hit home with where I am at right now. Here is an excerpt:

Once Jesus was having a party with some of his friends after he asked Matthew to be his disciple. At the party there were a lot of Matthew's friends who were tax collectors and a bunch of people who followed Jesus. Some Bible Teachers, who were also called Pharisees, showed up at the party and asked Jesus' disciples a question about him: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" When Jesus heard their question he replied to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:13-17 TNIV)

If we keep playing the game of striving to appear to others that we have it all together spiritually so that we can feel safe, accepted and seen as a successful Christian, then like the Bible Teachers, we will likely miss possible encounters with Jesus who is passionate about celebrating life with people who refuse to pursue a spiritual status quo but pursue him instead.

1 Comments:

Blogger Jeni said...

Just a little story for you because the gist of your post reminded me of this. This past Sunday, when Mandy went to church, she took Kurtis with her. He's only two and hasn't been taken to church all that much like Maya was early on. But anyway, when she came home she said she was so relieved that she hadn't taken Maya with her because the lay pastor's sermon was about how we, especially many of us in this area, have to qualms about wearing tee shirts or sweatshirts that say "I love Penn State," or having bumper stickers on our cars and such saying pretty much the same. He mentioned too how many of us often will give the Penn State cheer too (right fist up, say WE ARE; left fist up, say "PENN STATE!) but would any of us wear a tee or sweatshirt that says "I love God?" And all Mandy could think of when he mentioned the Penn State cheer was that had Maya been there with her, she no doubt would have done the Penn State cheer right then and there and none too quietly either!
I really enjoyed reading your most recent posts tonight as I am working my way through tons of blog posts that I am behind on after all the events of this week. Thanks for all the things you put up here.

8:34 PM  

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