Mighty God

Mighty God

My sister use to date this guy who loved to drive. He would put on his special driving gloves and get a spark in his eye when he settled behind the wheel. Then he'd sit up super straight when he shifted and lean in over the steering wheel like he could see better if he was four inches closer to the road. He loved to drive his… Pinto. Weird.

Joy to the World, Peace on Earth – do Christmas songs describe your life, or do you find it filled with sickness, hardship, and disappointment? God promises The Abundant life – did He exaggerate? Is God a bit like a used car salesman, where He exaggerates the car’s good points while forgetting to mention the 200k miles, burning oil and four previous car wrecks? Does Christianity sometimes seem like you were promised a Ferrari but ended up with a Pinto? Jesus came over 2000 years ago, yet our world is full of crime, war, starvation. What gives? Is He really a Mighty God?

I was reading a book recently called “I Became a Christian and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.” You can check it out at www.lousytshirtbook.com. Anyhow the author got me thinking about Christianity and why it doesn’t seem to measure up. Here are two of his reasons why:

• 1. Christianity can turn into a religion. You believe this set of rules, behave a certain way, and life will turn out OK. That’s a religion. It’s a Pinto – it sucks. You may live better than the next guy, but there is still an empty hole in your gut. So, we decide it’s all about relationship.


• 2. Relationship, too, is a Pinto. I remember when I was dating JoLynn (now my wife), and she said those magic words, “I just want to be friends.” Bad day – a pinto, it sucks kind of day. It should have been expected, in light of my dating history, but it was bad nonetheless. She wanted a relationship – but you can have a relationship from a distance. In a relationship you can move away, grow distant, and/or keep it shallow. Christianity must be more than a relationship.

Christianity is about The Incarnation. The Mighty God put on sin and becoming human in Jesus – but it doesn’t end there. The incarnation is the beginning of the good news – Jesus came, lived the perfect life, died and rose again. The good news is now we can have that new life. The Mighty God wants to put on skin and become human in YOU. Phil. 2:13 says “God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” NLT. God working IN you doesn’t make everything happy and easy. That’s our desire maybe, and one day when Christ our Mighty God returns there will be peace on earth and joy in the world. Meanwhile there isn’t justice – there is just us. God working in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.

Mary was ridiculed for having a baby out of wedlock, Joseph for marrying her despite her assumed sleeping around, Jesus for His teaching. But Mary, Joseph and Jesus drove Ferraris. How many world-wide holidays are there in celebration of Pharisees? There can be peace and joy in our hearts today. One day The Mighty God will return and bring peace and joy to our planet. Meanwhile Joseph can pick up Mary in his Ferrari and drive on gold streets. Not bad.

Dan

“We are here on earth to do good to others. What the others are here for, I don’t know” W.H. Auden