Humanity.

What makes us human? Is it the blood running through our veins? Maybe. Is it what we look like or how our bodies work so perfectly in a world of such chaos? Perhaps. Or at least that is a small part of what makes us human. But if you think of that question and give more than just a surface level answer then I think you can find a connection to God unlike anything else in this world. We are his creation. Every beat of our heart speaks to the rhythm of what his hands can create. Every sight that we see and process in our brains is an image of inspiration that magnifies the glory of an all powerful God. Every step that we take, every word that we say, and every breathe that we breath all give evidence of our God.

But is being a human being more than just sharing the same DNA as that of other humans? Or does it go so much deeper into our souls that the only thing that really makes us human is our dependency on God’s goodness? Hmmm. If we depend only on God, and God is good, then everything in this world should be a result of that perfect humanity that God created.

But wait, Drew. We don’t live in such a paradise? You mean things aren’t perfect? So if we have an omnipresent, omnipotent God that is perfect and holy in every way how can there possibly be evil in this world? If God is so good and glorious then why is there suffering? Why is there death? Why is there pain, grief, loneliness, guilt, and sorrow? Hmmm.

If all things are possible with God, then why didn’t he create a world without sin?

Well....He did. Remember Genesis chapters 1 & 2 where God created everything around us, including humanity in general, and he repeatedly said, “And it was good”? Well if you don’t, go back and look! God did create a perfect world where sin did not exist and where humanity lived in the harmonious state that it was intended to be lived in. But somewhere along the way we messed it up. God did not give up on humanity, humanity gave up on God by putting our dependence on something other than Him.

When you live in the world that we live in, it is so easy to lose hope and faith in God. The world we live in is very broken and distorted compared to the world that God always wanted us to live in. But remember this: Evil’s source is not of God’s power but of man’s freedom.

God gave us free will. It is a part of who we are and of our humanity. Without it we wouldn’t be able to love, have happiness, or worship. Without the freedom of free will, we wouldn’t be humans. We would be nothing more than robots that lived according to a biological code within ourselves.

Yes, God created everything, and yes there is evil in the world. But God did not create evil because evil is not a “thing”. A gun isn’t evil. A sword isn’t evil. They are nothing more than a construction and manipulation of various materials to perform a certain task. But what is evil is man throwing his humanity aside and abusing his freedom by performing a selfish and inhumane act. Nothing about that situation has anything to do with an all powerful and good God. That has everything to do with someone who has alienated themselves into another species by disobeying the order in which God created each and every one of us.

God created us as good and perfect creatures. When we stray away from that we stray away from our humanity. We stray away from what we were created to be. God never wanted us to feel pain, or suffering, or guilt. But because of our own selfishness (as a human race) this is now the world we live it.

The conclusion that I want to draw out of this is that we can no longer blame God for the evil things in this world. That is the most cowardly and foolish thing we can do. What we can do is take responsibility for our own short comings, seek out God’s forgiveness, and do whatever we possibly can to share that message with others.

I know this seems like a very depressing and I apologize. I am not saying that if we sin then God is going to do something bad to us. That is the opposite of the point that I am trying to make. I have just felt convicted lately to stand up for God against those who want take the easy way out and blame him, and even more so deny him, because of the evil things that we see in the world. God has some really big shoulders and can handle all of our doubts and questions that we have. In fact, I think that is when we grow most. But if you are doubting God because of the evil in this world, remember that evil isn’t something of God’s own heart or his goodness. And also remember that his grace covers all who seek it.

Feel free to add comments, questions, or insight.

Wealth.

This is a hard blog to write because I know that I am not in a place in my faith where I am as obedient as I should be on this particular topic. It is also a hard blog to write because it will hit home in a personal way with every person that is going to read this, or at least it should.

We in America live in the wealthiest country in the world. I know this is not a shocker to any of you, but it is a fact none-the-less. We have more money, more cars, more clothes, more food, and to put it simply, more stuff than anywhere else on this planet. And we like it that way. Why is this? Because it makes us feel secure. It makes us feel in control. It makes us feel that we have the means to not only take care of ourselves and our families but to provide higher quality of living and hopefully happiness. I want to say something that might make a few of you mad, but that is ok! It is not acceptable in God’s eyes to be living this way.

"Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.'" (Matthew 19:23-24)

I have read this passage a countless number of times in my life but never really considered how it played into my own life. Jesus is teaching us here that it is next to impossible to get into heaven when you are rich. Why did he say this? The Bible also teaches us that God’s grace is available to anyone who wishes to seek it, that includes those who are rich. Jesus wasn’t teaching the disciples that God’s grace doesn’t extend to those who are wealthy or that they aren’t loved as much as those who are not. What he is teaching here is that when you are rich, it is so easy to get wrapped up in yourself because you have security and comfort in your life. Money does provide these things in a number of different ways, and it is so easy to adjust your mindset to the idea that you do not need God in your life because you already have everything that you need. Why would you need to worship God when you are already have the security and control in your life that you desire and even need? The fact of the matter is that when you have these things in your life it often hard to see a need for God. You can become so wrapped up in yourself and in your own pleasure that you are completely going against the purpose that God created you, and this can lead you down a dark and very dangerous road. This is the message that Jesus was teaching his disciples.

When do you feel more compassion for those who are suffering and in poverty: When you are living in comfort and security, or when you are experiencing what it feels like to live that way? Maybe another lesson that Jesus was trying to teach is that when we are rich we lose the compassion and the heart that Jesus himself had for those who are poor and weak. You have to see that it is not about being wealthy. It is about being righteous in the eyes of God. It is about striving to have a heart like Jesus and to live your life like he would live it if he were standing in your shoes.

"Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death."

(Proverbs 11:4)

Like I said this is a hard blog to write because I haven’t figure this out completely in my own walk with Christ. But I do realize this: I believe we live in the hardest place in the world to evangelize. It is a lot easier to share the hope of Christ to a country that is so desperate and hopeless than it is to a country full of people who do feel that they already have all of the hope and security that they need. We have become so corrupted and mesmerized by a sense of false wealth that it has almost completely blinded us from the true riches that God offers to those who follow and love Him.

The conclusion that I want to draw is that we need to rethink what it means to be wealthy, and what we should do with the wealth that we are blessed with. It is not a bad thing to have money. In fact, it can be a great thing for God’s kingdom if you learn to be generous like Jesus taught us to be. But if you do not learn how to do this in your life, Jesus’ teaching speaks for itself: It is almost impossible to get to heaven. But the great thing about my God is that through Him, nothing is impossible.

"Rich and poor have this in common: The LORD is the Maker of them all." (Proverbs 22:2)

"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have." (Hebrews 13:5)

Adventure.

When I was a little kid, before this world cursed me with an abrupt sense of “reality”, I used to love going on adventures. Whether it was building a fort out of the trees in the back corner of my yard or it was pretending I was riding away from the bad guys on my bike, I loved making my life feel exciting. I loved pretending that I was part of something bigger than the circumstances that were actually surrounding me. But recently I have had a very depressing realization in my life:

Somewhere along the way in life I have lost this sense of adventure.

I don’t know what it is about our culture but once you reach a certain age you are supposed to put your imagination and dreams aside and become a “grown up”. I do understand that the older you get the more responsibilities you acquire, but what does that have to do with living a life with adventure and an imagination? Without these two elements in our lives, day to day life becomes BORING. And in my opinion, I don’t think that God ever intended our lives to be BORING! In fact, it is quite the opposite.

In my last blog I talked about purpose. I mainly focused on discovering the purpose in our own lives, but what would you say was the purpose of Jesus’ life? Well of course he came here to die for us on the cross so that we may have eternal life with him in heaven. And that is HUGE! But when thinking about this idea of adventure, could it be possible that another purpose of Jesus’ life here on earth was to teach us to be followers who live a life of adventure? I think so! Look at the numerous crazy things that he did throughout the gospel. He hung out with a prostitute, he ate dinner with sinners, he raised someone from the dead, he took on the high priests and challenged everything they were doing, he healed the sick and lame, etc. All the while he did this with his students near by, teaching them that there is power when you carry the name of God with you.

Then Jesus gave what we now call the great commission, which states:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:16-20)

Jesus was sending his disciples on an adventure! An adventure that was going to take them all over the world spreading the news of Christ and baptizing people in his name. This concept is commonplace today but this was a huge and dangerous task for these men to take on. A task that in the end took many of their lives in very violent and cruel ways. But I can guarantee that if we could ask the disciples today if they would do it again that they would say the adventure was worth it.

The conclusion I want to draw out of this is that we need to live our lives like it is an adventure. And a forewarning that goes along with that is it wont always be safe. What kind of adventure doesn’t include a little danger? But God never calls us to be safe in our faith. He calls us to be bold and to trust in Him to lead us to do what He knows is best. But are we brave enough to follow? I just pray that we approach our walks with a more childlike sense of adventure and to break away from what this world tells us it means to be a grown up.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)