"...because God was not just redeeming that which was profane, but was setting all that was sacred free..." - a quote from Shane Claiborne's, The Irrestible Revolution.
This book has captured my attention and it has done so because He captures my attention. I now consider it in my top 5 reads. If you haven't read it, you should. Buy it. Borrow it. Steal it (just kidding, unless it's from a friend who says you can steal it so long as you give it back when you are done.)
I'm being challenged in ways I can't even possibly begin to conceptualize. I know what I need to do. But I'm scared. I'm honestly and genuinely afraid. I have FEAR as my backbone.
The curtains tore open because Jesus was setting us free. You and me. Poor from poverty. Rich from greed. Destitute from poor health. Wealthy from lonliness. Me from fear. Jesus did not shield himself from the masses by hiding behind the Holy Temple curtains. He walked openly among the homeless, touched lepers, healed beggers, challenged aristocrats, confronted the possessed. He was in the midst of humanity, not running from it. The curtains could not jail Him (Luke 23:44-46).
I'm afraid.
To quote Kierkegaard, "... the matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly."
I know he wasn't talking directly to me when he said this, but it sure feels like it. I live a life of comfort and ease. At the very root, I am afraid to let go of that comfort. The desires of the flesh have set their roots in my heart and made me afraid. I hear Him calling...
"Come. Follow me."
"Come. Follow me."
"Come. Follow me."
And I just sit here pretending not to hear.
3 comments:
Great post bret. Thanks for your honesty. To really follow Jesus... I too feel I fall so short.
BP,
yeah, I read this book back in September during our study break. It presented quite a quandry for me. On one hand, I could not put it down because the vision was gripping my hear. On the other hand, I felt like I had to put it down because i was holding a stick of dynamite. To be quite honest, it reminded me of the Bible and like that Kierkegaard quote, it's hard to live with what it has to say. Like Shane says, "Life was easy, then I met Jesus"
I like this post, BP. Shane's quote in Drew's post rings true for me. It helped me see something much deeper in a phrase my dad has told me since I was a child - "It is a great life if you don't weaken." ...back to my pondering...
Thanks.
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