Chapter 9: What difference does it make?
In this chapter, Yancey writes about opposition to the kingdom of God that few of us in the U.S. can even imagine. Rather than summarize the chapter, I want to share some of the thoughts this chapter provoked for me.
We live our daily lives in such incredible comfort compared to the majority of the rest of the world. And we take so much for granted. In our current culture, many of us are tempted to reject a God who would require anything of us that we consider unfair or undeserved. So we create a God in our own likeness who agrees with us and does not challenge our selfishness. This is actually no God at all because this view puts ourselves on the throne and removes God entirely. Of course, we don't necessarily do this consciously. Often we don't realize we are doing it at all because it is so consistent with the values of our society. We are told, even by those claiming to be followers of Christ at times, to seek ourselves, our personal fulfillment, our best life, our personal power, prosperity, happiness, etc., etc. In so doing, we only serve God for how He can serve us and only as long as we feel that He does the job we expect of Him.
Tim Keller often compares this way of relating to God with the illustration of a Stepford Wife. As everyone knows, in the book/movie, this "wife" was created to serve the needs of her spouse and never question or challenge. She has no voice in the relationship. She has no authority. She is given no respect. In the same way, many people create their own lord. He serves you. He does not challenge you to make sacrifices. He has no real authority in your life. He has no voice and is given no true respect.
If Christ cannot challenge us, there is no real relationship. Because we cannot have a relationship with someone who does not have the ability to question, challenge or expect anything of us. And to then call that same person the Lord of our lives makes a mockery of Christianity. It's a sham. As my pastor often points out, "Either Jesus is Lord over everything in your life or He is Lord over nothing."
As I read this chapter, I thought about the challenges I have faced and how they absolutely pale in comparison to the persecution of Christians throughout the world. Sometimes they witness miraculous intervention and sometimes they do not. If I have ever wondered about my unanswered prayers for God to change my circumstances, how must those Christians struggle with their unanswered prayers? And what about Jesus' prayer that "this cup" might pass from Him? Could we consider that an unanswered prayer when it resulted in our salvation?
How am I able to think of myself as sharing in His suffering if I don't choose obedience to His will even when it requires suffering rather than the reward of personal fulfillment and comfort? I ask this question of myself because I have a very comfortable life at present. I have suffered through trials and experienced loss. But I have certainly never sweat drops of blood or anything remotely close to that.
I so want to live my life in gratitude for what God, through His mercy, has already done in my life. I don't want to create a false god who always agrees with me and condones my selfishness. I want God to challenge me and make me stronger in Him. I want to obey Him. I want to trust Him. I want a real relationship with the real God. I want to cooperate with Him and submit to His will for my life, even when His will means something I fear. And I pray He will give me the grace to represent Him well in this earth through all my choices and my behavior.
My favorite quote from this chapter is, once again, near the end. Yancey says:
What would happen if we followed literally Jesus' command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? How would it affect the reputation of Christians in the United States if we became known not for our access to the White House but for our access to heaven on behalf of those who strenuously, even violently, disagree with us?
This chapter confronted primarily social injustice, but the question can be applied to all aspects of our lives. Those who are facing poverty, hunger, oppression, and life-threatening disease are merely trying to survive. Those of us who are fortunate enough not to be facing survival issues have the luxury of focusing on our wants, our comforts, our physical appearances, our pleasure and emotional fulfillment in life. But our focus should be God and how we represent HIM, how we reflect on HIS reputation.
I think adversity brings us back to Him and away from ourselves because, in those moments, we have nowhere to turn but to Him. He knows this better than any of us. And I believe that's one of the reasons suffering is necessary. It also deepens our compassion for others. And He calls us to love as He loves. That will require a lifetime of practice in all areas of our lives.
I think sometimes it's necessary for us to consciously put our lives in the proper perspective and realize how blessed we are to have the problems we have. I will never forget my mother, lying in a bed of suffering and facing a very premature death at the same age I am now (48), listing for me all of her blessings in life. She said, "I had parents who loved me. I was never abused. I've had a happy marriage. I have healthy children. I haven't had to suffer a lot of things others around me have suffered. I have had a blessed life. And if it's not God's will for me to have a longer life, I accept His will." She was such a profound example of gratitude to me. She didn't have perfect parents, a perfect marriage or perfect kids. Far from it. But she was thankful. She did not feel like God owed her anything. She owed Him. That is the way I want to live and die; giving God thanks for everything. It is He who has ordained my path. That is how I accept my circumstances; those I am happy about and those I have not understood.
According to His Word, all things work together for my good. This doesn't mean every prayer will be answered according to my will. But He hears our prayers and they do make a difference. Sometimes they are a difference in eternity, or even in the life of another, rather than an instant answer for our here and now.
We live our daily lives in such incredible comfort compared to the majority of the rest of the world. And we take so much for granted. In our current culture, many of us are tempted to reject a God who would require anything of us that we consider unfair or undeserved. So we create a God in our own likeness who agrees with us and does not challenge our selfishness. This is actually no God at all because this view puts ourselves on the throne and removes God entirely. Of course, we don't necessarily do this consciously. Often we don't realize we are doing it at all because it is so consistent with the values of our society. We are told, even by those claiming to be followers of Christ at times, to seek ourselves, our personal fulfillment, our best life, our personal power, prosperity, happiness, etc., etc. In so doing, we only serve God for how He can serve us and only as long as we feel that He does the job we expect of Him.
Tim Keller often compares this way of relating to God with the illustration of a Stepford Wife. As everyone knows, in the book/movie, this "wife" was created to serve the needs of her spouse and never question or challenge. She has no voice in the relationship. She has no authority. She is given no respect. In the same way, many people create their own lord. He serves you. He does not challenge you to make sacrifices. He has no real authority in your life. He has no voice and is given no true respect.
If Christ cannot challenge us, there is no real relationship. Because we cannot have a relationship with someone who does not have the ability to question, challenge or expect anything of us. And to then call that same person the Lord of our lives makes a mockery of Christianity. It's a sham. As my pastor often points out, "Either Jesus is Lord over everything in your life or He is Lord over nothing."
As I read this chapter, I thought about the challenges I have faced and how they absolutely pale in comparison to the persecution of Christians throughout the world. Sometimes they witness miraculous intervention and sometimes they do not. If I have ever wondered about my unanswered prayers for God to change my circumstances, how must those Christians struggle with their unanswered prayers? And what about Jesus' prayer that "this cup" might pass from Him? Could we consider that an unanswered prayer when it resulted in our salvation?
How am I able to think of myself as sharing in His suffering if I don't choose obedience to His will even when it requires suffering rather than the reward of personal fulfillment and comfort? I ask this question of myself because I have a very comfortable life at present. I have suffered through trials and experienced loss. But I have certainly never sweat drops of blood or anything remotely close to that.
I so want to live my life in gratitude for what God, through His mercy, has already done in my life. I don't want to create a false god who always agrees with me and condones my selfishness. I want God to challenge me and make me stronger in Him. I want to obey Him. I want to trust Him. I want a real relationship with the real God. I want to cooperate with Him and submit to His will for my life, even when His will means something I fear. And I pray He will give me the grace to represent Him well in this earth through all my choices and my behavior.
My favorite quote from this chapter is, once again, near the end. Yancey says:
What would happen if we followed literally Jesus' command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? How would it affect the reputation of Christians in the United States if we became known not for our access to the White House but for our access to heaven on behalf of those who strenuously, even violently, disagree with us?
This chapter confronted primarily social injustice, but the question can be applied to all aspects of our lives. Those who are facing poverty, hunger, oppression, and life-threatening disease are merely trying to survive. Those of us who are fortunate enough not to be facing survival issues have the luxury of focusing on our wants, our comforts, our physical appearances, our pleasure and emotional fulfillment in life. But our focus should be God and how we represent HIM, how we reflect on HIS reputation.
I think adversity brings us back to Him and away from ourselves because, in those moments, we have nowhere to turn but to Him. He knows this better than any of us. And I believe that's one of the reasons suffering is necessary. It also deepens our compassion for others. And He calls us to love as He loves. That will require a lifetime of practice in all areas of our lives.
I think sometimes it's necessary for us to consciously put our lives in the proper perspective and realize how blessed we are to have the problems we have. I will never forget my mother, lying in a bed of suffering and facing a very premature death at the same age I am now (48), listing for me all of her blessings in life. She said, "I had parents who loved me. I was never abused. I've had a happy marriage. I have healthy children. I haven't had to suffer a lot of things others around me have suffered. I have had a blessed life. And if it's not God's will for me to have a longer life, I accept His will." She was such a profound example of gratitude to me. She didn't have perfect parents, a perfect marriage or perfect kids. Far from it. But she was thankful. She did not feel like God owed her anything. She owed Him. That is the way I want to live and die; giving God thanks for everything. It is He who has ordained my path. That is how I accept my circumstances; those I am happy about and those I have not understood.
According to His Word, all things work together for my good. This doesn't mean every prayer will be answered according to my will. But He hears our prayers and they do make a difference. Sometimes they are a difference in eternity, or even in the life of another, rather than an instant answer for our here and now.
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