You know an area where I am currently really
struggling? I want a “feel good” faith. I think I’m not the only one. I think lots of us want to believe in
something that is easy and comfortable and feels good. Here is where it is for me: I want to believe that everyone I love has a
relationship with Jesus. I want to
believe that on a level that matters they all love him and know him and will be
with me in heaven. I like to fall back
on the hope that the people I love most in the world love the Lord even if they
don’t talk with me about it or show me that they do. For other people, I think a “feel good” faith
looks different. I think some people
want to believe that no matter what religion is being practiced that if it is
done sincerely, then all roads lead to the same place. Basically, a “whatever gives you peace” type
of belief. It is America. We preach tolerance and love and brotherhood
and freedom. We don’t want to offend or
step on toes or be “preachy.” We also
don’t want the responsibility of speaking truth. We want to believe that truth is relative and
that all people have the freedom to choose what is true for them. I
want that. Honestly. I want to be off the hook when it comes to
balancing love with Christian truth. I
also want to believe that if I’m doing “the best I can,” then I’m ok.
This weekend, though, I heard a sermon that was super
convicting – both in how I live my own life and in how I view the Christian
walk as a whole. The sermon was about James 2:14-26. One of the most interesting verses in that
passage is verse 19 which says “You believe that there is one
God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” I did a study on the book of James a couple
of years ago, and I remember some really cool historical details about this
passage that I’d like to share. First
you should know that James was Jesus’ brother and the head of the Jerusalem
church. He was writing to
Jewish-Christians about the difference between faith and works. For years, the Jews had been following
specific rituals and traditions that made up their faith. They prayed at specific times throughout the
day and ate certain foods and carried out special festivals and
traditions. They were seeped in
religion. Their faith looked good. It was smart and consistent and carried out
with mathematical precision. In fact,
the scripture in James 2:19 refers to a central prayer to Jewish worshipers
called The Shema. It is still practiced
today and many Jews will recite it at least twice a day. The prayer comes from three Old Testament
scriptures, but the part referenced by James comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 where
a belief in one God is stressed. A
belief in one God had always set the Jews apart from the surrounding pagan nations
who believed in multiple gods. It set
them apart the same way a belief in Jesus sets Christians apart. You may think of the Apostle’s Creed when we
say, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in
Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord.”
James is taking a prayer as precious to his
Jewish audience as the Apostle’s Creed is to us and saying, “You believe
that? Who cares? The demons believe the same thing.” According to James, the only difference
between a faith like that of the demons and a true Christian faith is found in
deeds. He contrasts the difference
between the demons and true followers like Abraham and Rahab who both allowed
their faith to impact their actions.
James says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied
by action, is dead.” If we really
believe out of a love for Jesus, our actions will be impacted. We will want to obey. The demons believe. They know he is God. But they refuse to serve him with their
actions.
The message at church this week was not a
new one. The leadership at our church
consistently preaches the message that faith should be obvious. It should impact the way we live. And even though there is no lack of scripture
to back up that belief, I’ve struggled with it.
This week, Andy and I invited a friend at church and over brunch, the
three of us engaged in a conversation about how hard the message was to
hear. It was challenging and
confrontational, and we discussed how it could have impacted the various people
listening to the message. I loved my
friend’s summation of it. She said, “I
just don’t know what I think. I want
some time to turn it over in my mind.”
It was exactly how I’ve been feeling about the messages. They are hard. They aren’t easy. And the truth they bring has serious
implications for how I should live my life.
Implications that involve less comfort and possible change.
I think the first implication is in how I serve
my loved ones. As I said at the
beginning, I really want to believe everyone I love also loves Jesus. If someone makes a comment about praying for
something or anything that indicates a belief that church is important, I
decide they are a Christian. They are fine. No need to pray fervently for them. No need to be intentional about sharing my
faith and God’s love with them. I can
relax because if they say they have prayed about something, they must be a
Christian. And maybe they are. But the demons said Jesus was the Son of God
and they sure weren’t walking with the Lord.
I want to be clear that I definitely don’t plan to go around analyzing
everyone’s faith and trying to figure out whether they are Christians or not –
that behavior is focused on judgment and not love (and besides that, it is
behavior that makes me SUPER uncomfortable).
What I am saying is that I spend time in prayer for a lot of things, but
often I neglect praying for people I love dearly because I believe they can
pray for themselves – after all, they know God.
But maybe they don’t, and maybe my prayers matter. Maybe my prayers are the very things God wants
to use to make a difference for them, but I won’t pray them because I want to think
the difference has already been made. I
hope that makes sense.
Another, greater, implication is in how I
live my own life. I confessed to my
friend and Andy at brunch that the message was convicting for me because I feel
I’m a lot like the demons or the
super religious Jews. I know the answers. I have memorized the scripture. I know the Apostle’s Creed and the Lord’s
Prayer and I could probably count on two hands the number of church services I
have missed in the last 10 years (and all because I was traveling – not because
I was sleeping in). Too often, I think I
let my history and my knowledge take the place of living my faith. James 2:15 says, “Suppose a brother or sister
is without clothes and daily food. If
one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does
nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” I know I am bad to tell people that I hope
their day gets better or that I hope a situation works out for them without
offering to help ease their burden. There
are times when it is easier to say, “I’ll be praying for you,” than it is to
say, “I’ll come keep your kids so you can have a much needed date night with
your husband,” or “Let me help you pack or move,” or “I’ll bring you dinner – what
is your favorite meal?” Offerings like
those require sacrifice, and I like to be comfortable. I prefer not to sacrifice, and sometimes, I’d
like to live in a bubble where nothing is required of me.
But the truth is, Christianity is not a
feel good life. It requires putting our
lives down for the good of other people.
It requires acknowledging the truth and walking in it even when it is
hard. It requires balancing the
tightrope between truth in love and truth without love. It is hard.
And we get it wrong. In every
way. Every day. We get it wrong. But I think the key is in not becoming
comfortable and complacent. The key is
keeping ourselves in a place where we can be uncomfortable. Where we can be burdened for others and where
we can feel convicted for ourselves. It
is in keeping a heart that is open to the Lord and feet that are ready to move
where he sends.
No comments:
Post a Comment