"Easy street" faith

Today: Job 35-37

"When you leave here today, you're going to have the same eye color. You'll be wearing the same clothes. You're not going to be perfect. You're not going to stop facing challenges. But you're making a fresh start...and God's going to be with you."

Every weekend my pastor says something like this at the end of each church service. He says it to people who have just decided to believe in God and ask Him to lead their lives. I'm really glad he does--because there are a lot of people who have what I'm calling today "easy street faith." In today's passage, Job's long-winded friend Elihu (yes, the same guy we heard from yesterday) seems to hold that philosophy. Here's what he said to Job about people who follow God:

If they obey and serve him,

they'll have a good, long life on easy street.

Hmm...interesting theory. Too bad it's wrong. I'd love to say that since I've believed in God and served Him, that I've had a perfect life. Don't get me wrong--my life is better because God's in it, but it's far from perfect.

If we look at Jesus Himself (perfect God in flesh), it's clear that loving God and following what He says doesn't lead to easy street. It lead Jesus to Calvary, a cross and a painful death (though not to cut the story short, it also lead Him to resurrection and eternity in Heaven!).

For all of us that are simply human, we make mistakes that have consequences. Even when we don't necessarily mess up, the people around us might--and that could have a major impact on us. On top of that, we're human beings--we eventually die (and so do people we love). We feel pain and sickness and heartache.

I know that last paragraph could sound like a major downer--it's not meant to! I'm trying to actually take pressure off anyone who feels that because they love God, their lives should be picture-perfect...and they're not.

I'm also trying to encourage anyone who's mad at God because of their not-so-easy street lives. God's not to blame for that. And here's the really cool thing--in the midst of whatever you and I face (good and bad), God's there. He wants to listen and help. Mostly, He will always love.

Tomorrow: Job 38-39

Don't fear...he's got the keys

(Originally written November 8)

Today: Revelation 1-3

Have you ever locked your keys in a car?

It can be VERY frustrating! I remember one incident when my mom locked her keys inside the car while it was still running. Luckily, this particular event happened within a few blocks of the dealership where she purchased the car. A representative from the dealer ship came to the scene quickly—what a relief! We could pile in the car and head out to our next destination.
Did you know that God has a set of keys? Here’s what the Word said today:

Don’t fear:
I am First, I am Last, I am Alive.
I died, but I came to life,
and my life is now forever.
See these keys in my hand?
They open and lock Death’s doors,
they open and lock Hell’s gates.

Today we started reading the book of Revelation—probably one of the most-talked-about books of the Bible. For years, people have used Revelation to predict when the world will end and when Christ will return. There are countless books, movies, articles and different perspectives that sound very scary. But in this passage, Jesus told John not to fear—we should also follow His instructions. God’s been around since before time itself, He will be around forever, He’s alive today…and he’s got a serious key ring.

Tomorrow: Revelation 4-8

What stood out most to you?

Today: Matthew 27-28

"What stood out most to you?" is probably one of the best questions for starting a discussion. (Try it some time after a movie, art exhibit, vacation or at a small group meeting).

After I read today's passage, I asked myself that question. I can't think of a specific theme today, so this will be a somewhat random collection of things that stood out:

• What would it be like to be infamous--marked by history as part of something evil? I'll admit--this is a really odd question. But I thought of it after reading about how the Pharisees purchased a field with the money Judas was paid to betray Jesus. Their actions were prophesied by Jeremiah--but a priest part of the situation probably felt like he was just "part of the crowd."
  
  
• The actions of one generation impact the next...and beyond. The people who demanded Jesus' death pleaded with Pilate to crucify Him. They said, ""We'll take the blame, we and our children after us." What kind of actions are we taking today that will impact the next generation?
  
  
• The patient love of Jesus. It baffles my mind to think of what He endured--unjustly--on the cross. He was beaten, mocked, misunderstood, and tortured by people who just didn't see Him for who He is. Yet through it all, He remained strong, kind, compassionate and determined. Wow.
  
  
• Something I never noticed before--people who came to life as Jesus died. This was an interesting thing to discover. What would it have felt like to be one of those people or one of their family members? What would be like to suddenly come to life again because someone else lost His? How would your life be changed?
  
  
• The resurrected Jesus first appeared to women. This is kind of interesting to me because of the culture at the time--women were second-class citizens. Why would God in the flesh show up first to them? Why would He entrust the message of His resurrection to them? Maybe it's just because they were there and they were faithful. I honestly don't know--but I think it's interesting.
  
  
• Some of the disciples missed out on seeing and worshipping Jesus after He came to life. I never really noticed this before, either. It says, "Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally." Hmm...this reminds me of the "What kind of investor is God?" post from a few days ago. All of Jesus' friends and followers weren't ready to go "all in" or live "all out" for Him.
  
  Can you imagine being one of those people...a few days or a few years later? I think I would have always wondered, "What would have happened if I would have been there? What if I could have seen Jesus one more time? What if I had lived on the edge and worshipped Him?"
  
  
• Before He left for heaven, Jesus made a promise. When I started reading Matthew, one of my first posts was about how God keeps promises...and how the writer of Matthew continually reminded us of them. It's interesting that as Jesus left the earth, His last recorded words in Matthew are a promise to us, "I'll be with you...day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."
  

Tomorrow: Mark 1-3