I wasn’t sure if I was going to write a column on faith today. Often, when I do, I’m inspired by a lesson from church, and today, the pastor was wrapping up a series on Revelation. I touched on it previously, but that’s a book that typically elicits a recoil response from me. It’s always struck me as wild and ominous and a bit overwhelming.
Certainly, I’m acquainted with the Bible — have read it cover-to-cover several times and in bits and pieces throughout my life. But I’m no theologian, so I tend to shy away from trying to write from that standpoint. Today’s service was moving and meaningful, as usual, and I appreciated the pastor’s approach to tackling a difficult topic filled with extraordinary imagery and uncomfortable themes. You can watch this service linked below. It tackled a complex topic.
Walking through the service isn’t the point of what I’m about to say. It was a moment — two quotes — near the end of the sermon that really caught my attention and sparked the urge to write this. We have reached the end — our moment of reckoning — the book of our life is being read and reviewed, and we are being called to account. This moment will define us.
Citing C.S. Citing C.S.
There are two kinds of people — those who say ‘Thy will be done’ to God or those to whom God in the end says, ‘Thy will be done.’
A pointed reminder that the choice remains with us: Do we accept God’s grace and recognize that it is through Him — and Him alone — that we are saved and welcomed into His kingdom? Do we refuse to accept His offer or do we gamble that we will be able to make a counter-offer that would only accept some terms but not all?
Is it the belief that excuses or justifications can be used to cover transgressions in final accounting? That God will be okay with this “one little slip-up” here if we mostly meant well, or this outright disobedience there if we filled the rest of our life with good deeds? Is this pure hubris? Perhaps. Though my instincts tell me it’s also tied into a deep-seated aversion to being accountable — a multi-multi-generational thread that harkens all the way back to Adam pointing at Eve and Eve pointing at the serpent.
Interesting, isn’t it, that we so readily embrace “The Devil made me do it” as a rationalization — seeking absolution based on our purported powerlessness over evil — yet shy away from the most essential revelation of all: That God’s grace overcomes it all — IfAccept it is our choice
Is there anything that can stop us getting away from this? All the tempting lures in front of us. Or a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to accept God’s terms?
Today’s sermon also included Joshua Ryan Butler as an author.
Jesus’ question is not, ‘Are you good enough to get into my kingdom?’ His question is: ‘Will you let me heal you?’
Do we allow ourselves to Please be fooled (or fool ourselves) into believing that it’s up to us to be good enough — to say enough prayers, do enough good deeds — to earn our way into Heaven? We accept it as a tacit admission of defeat, knowing deep down that we cannot do and say enough.
If we do, we’re looking at it upside down and/or backward. Because that isn’t it at all. It isn’t up to us to heal ourselves.
It is now up to each of us to go to the Great Physician to sign an informed consent. I accept you, Lord and Savior. You are the only way I can be accepted into the Kingdom. My task — my responsibility — is to see that my words and deeds this side of it reflect that.
About Post Author
