Sep 2, 2008

Christianity - Easiest thing in the World

Before you go thinking that I'm crazy, let me explain.

Do I think being a Christ-follower is easy? I must tell you that I think this is asking the wrong question.

I think this is a wrong question to be asking on several accounts.

First, this question assumes that Christianity is about doing and not-doing. It puts the whole enchilada on the whole doing thing - am I having sex outside of marriage? Do I steal? Do I cheat? Do I watch porn? Do I have homosexual fantasies? Have I had an abortion? Did I read my Bible today? Did I pray? Am I tithing? Have I shared with someone about Jesus? And the list could go on?

Being a good Christian isn't so much about doing and not doing. In fact, we become Christians by grace and grace alone. It is by accepting what God has done in Jesus Christ. It is by accepting what Jesus did - the very thing that we could never do for ourselves - that we become a Christ-follower.

This doesn't mean that doing things and not doing things doesn't matter. Read on.

Second reason why the above question is asking the wrong question is because it is akin to asking two people madly in love with each other, "Is being in love easy?"

Look, when you're in love with someone - where you can't think about anything else, where you don't want to do anything without that other person, where you all you can think about is your lover, loving is the easiest thing in the world.

And when you're in love, you're not thinking about the stuff you've got to do and not do - oh, don't cheat, don't have an affair, do nice things, say loving things, etc. All these things happen as a result of being in love. The key is the person. The key is being in love.

When you love someone, all these other things flow from being in love. And the thing is, you can do all these things without love.

When we focus on anything else other than Jesus Christ, we're asking the wrong questions.

But when we become Christ-focused, when we keep our eyes on Jesus and realize how awesome He is, then doing and not doing just falls into place.

When we have a doing and not-doing problem, we have a love problem, we have a Jesus problem.

But when we love Jesus, being a Christian is the easiest thing in the world.

Even as I write this, I need to confess that I am much more comfortable with doing and not doing than loving Jesus thing. I am learning and growing to be more of a loving Jesus person.

And when I forget about what being a Christ-follower means, I quickly resort back to being a rule keeper and a breaker.

But I can also confess that I want to be more like the lover. I want to know Jesus more. I hunger for genuine Christianity.

James <><
Check out what God is up to @
www.trinitypresbyterian.us

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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"It is by accepting what Jesus did..." Accepting is a verb. Is this easy to do?

"But when we become Christ-focused, when we keep our eyes on Jesus and realize how awesome He is, then doing and not doing just falls into place."

What does it mean to be "Christ-focused"? - thinking about Christ? meditating on the Word? Praying? Loving people?

Just food for thought.