Disappointed with God???

Have you ever been disappointed with God? Ever thought He was not holding up His end of the bargain? Seemed as though He was getting a little lax in keeping all those promises that He made that you frivolously applied to your own life? You are not alone! But maybe it is not God's fault...
 
Since 1938 when "Action Comics #1" (the comic where Superman FIRST appeared) hit the market America has been in love with superheroes. Don't believe me? Four significant stats...2012's "The Avengers" ranks third on the all-time money making list for films (it cost $220 million to make--to date it has earned over $1 billion); and recently, out of the 120 known to exist, an authentic "Action Comic #1" sold at auction for over $2million! Two words...Comic Con. Lastly, major studios have contracted for a slew of new superhero movies to be made through 2019. But why do we have such an obsession with superheroes?

First we must understand the culture that birthed the superhero. In 1938 (though Superman was certainly NOT America's first exposure to a superhero persona I am using him as an accurate test sample) the US was just getting over the Great Depression and WWI.  F.D.R. had promised Americans a "New Deal," but in Germany Hitler had already named himself the Fuhrer and was about to invade Czechoslovakia (which would eventually turn into WW II).  Let's face it...we needed a hero who, even though he was an alien, could move "faster than a speeding bullet," was "more powerful than a locomotive," and was "able to leap tall building in a single bound!"  LOOK..UP IN THE SKY...eventually he came to uphold such stalwart traits as, "truth, justice, and the American way!" It appears as though he was just the kind of hero we needed.

But to really understand HOW that happened we need to go beyond 1938.  One thing I neglected to tell you was that in 1938 the "Father of Modern Psychology" was nearing the end of his life. Sigmund unbeknownst to him, entering the last year of his life. It was his ground breaking and provocative work, "The Future of Illusion" (1927) that hold the key to this riddle.  Freud thought that one thing common to all humanity was fear. It was fear that drove the psychosis which lead to delusional thinking. Because of our unwarranted fears, Freud said, we "project" a defender. He said that because we have a sense of what is just and right we are offended when injustice occurs yet we are helpless to avoid it or overcome it...it is at that moment that our fears cause us to project a defender.  So, Freud concluded, because we fear death we project a "heavenly Father," because we fear the unpredictable and the unknown we project a "protective father" (Savior), and because we fear each other we project a God who is a "just judge" that will eventually set everything right.
Freud was,

So clearly...at least my understanding of Freud states that we want God to be our superhero when things are tough...He shows up and saves the day.  He is greater than all of our foes, and arrives in the "nick of time" to triumph over our foes and to stand for "truth, justice, and the American way!" Or does He?

It may be what I EXPECT...but, at least in my life, that has not always been the case. Is it possible that we have a wrong view of God?  Is it possible that we should NOT personify Him as a "superhero?" Don't be confused...I believe He IS just and righteous and at some point He will set ALL things straight, in His own way (not to be confused with my own perception of justice or rightness).

But our perspective is skewed because of our view of God.  Note this...John chapter 13 describes Jesus showing his 12 disciples the "full extent of his love"--when he took the role of servant and washed their feet...telling them...if you understand what I have done for you...you should do this for others.  In fact, he tells them that they will be "blessed" (a word we really have no grasp of) if they do it! So the way to save the world is to serve it.  PIECE OF CAKE!! 

An often overlooked fact concerning John 13 is this...Jesus, knowing full well who would betray him...served Judas...he washed Judas' feet to show him "the full extent of his love." WOW!! So we save the world by serving the world....ALL of the world...people who are not like us, not the same culture as us, not the same background as us, not the same color as us, not the same "religion" as us, people who don't even like us, people who will betray us!! YES YES YES YES!!! It is a risk we are commanded to take!! Jesus didn't just die for the Church, for Americans, for Republicans, for heterosexuals...HE DIED FOR ALL HUMANITY!!! To save the world we must risk serving the world in the way that Jesus did.

Just in case you aren't "getting" this...we show the world that God is a superhero who empowers us to be on his team. It is the love of God in the blood of Jesus displayed through believers that demonstrates to the world that God is good, and just, and that someday soon he WILL send Jesus to ride in on a white horse to take charge...but for now...the world needs servants, willing servants, who are not interested in going to church...but who are interested in being the Church. God is SO much bigger than "truth, justice, and the American way"...we live in a hopeless world, that needs hope...can you help?

I believe...help me in my unbelief.

Take the Long Way Home...

I have noticed lately that two words have pierced our postmodern vocabulary... "ON DEMAND."  With our current technology you can get nearly anything "on demand." Don't believe me...just take a quick look at the pictures below..

 

 

Is there anything that we cannot get "on demand?"  After all, the phrase, "there's an app for that" didn't just happen...it was guided by humanity's endless need for instant gratification (ever found yourself staring into the microwave thinking, "this is taking WAY too long!"). "On Demand" has become a way of life and is now beckoning believers to join the journey.

Unfortunately, churches have bought this mentality...that what the Kingdom of God needs to offer the world is "God on Demand" (hint God has always been there "on demand" it is called prayer!!). However, in our attempt to be "relevant" have have offered a less than biblical approach to salvation and discipleship where "on demand" tends to be something more akin to "as you wish" (remember The Princess Bride?) 

The problem is that is that following Jesus has NEVER been about ease, or comfort...it is NEVER "easy" to deny-self and to carry a cross (just ask Jesus!).

The New Testament talks frequently about "persevering" (the OPPOSITE) of "on demand." Paul reminds us that:
Love perseveres (1 Cor 13:7)
We are to persevere in life and doctrine (1 Tim 4:16)

James tells us:
Blessed is the one who perseveres (James chapter 1)
Blessed are those who HAVE persevered (James 5:11)

Even the Spirit praises the church in Ephesus:
"You have persevered and endured hardship...and not grown weary" (Rev 2:2)

But alas there is more... "you have forgotten your first love."

Love..by definition cannot be "on demand."  You cannot demand that someone love you (you can but it won't do any good!).  God cannot command us to love him and expect we will, like robots obey (you cannot offend free-will), and we cannot expect that God will love us "on demand" if we have not shown our lives to be willingly in submission to Him.

Yes we now live in an "on-demand" world, but followers of Jesus cannot allow this cultural trend to mandate our spiritual relationships...relationships take time to cultivate, navigate, and fulfill...on demand is fine if you want to watch a movie...but it will result in frustration if you expect to cultivate spiritual intimacy with the One who loves you most.  It was so well put by earlier "philosopher/musicians" Supertramp...back in the 80's when they said... "Take the Long Way Home!"

I believe...help my unbelief. 

A "NEW" Threat???

Garter Snake

In the scope of Scripture (especially in the creation narrative, and the book of Revelation) Satan is pictured as a serpent (snake). I have encountered MANY "snakes" (note I am using the word negatively but the bible does not always do so) in my time.  Some of these "snakes" were ACTUAL snakes that I ran across in the wild. As a boy in the Midwest I LOVED finding garter snakes. They were generally small,  non-poisonous, and NOT ill-tempered--the PERFECT pet for an enterprising youngster in the wilds of the Midwest.  But we always released them after a day or so to go back and do whatever it is that garter snakes do.

I have also met other varieties of "snakes" that were loathsome, and gave every appearance of "evil" (even though I now live in an area where there are rattlesnakes in the wild--I have yet to encounter one), and SOME of them were ACTUAL snakes that crawled on their bellies!

Recently, while researching something else I came across a snake that is, in my mind, the epitome of why Satan is often viewed as a snake...it is the African Rock Python (whose usual domain is in Africa [hence the name--where it is known as the "largest" snake] but has now infested, the already overpopulated with reptiles, US state of FL. Below are two pictures of the same snake that managed to gorge itself on a farmers' livestock and then get caught in his electric fence (not in the US).

NOW...let me give you a few facts about these particular snakes:

• They have "bent" teeth (see second picture) that are used to grab and hold their prey (these rows of bent teeth make it virtually impossible to escape once caught). However, they are not venomous, nor do they kill their prey by biting (since they don't inject venom).

•  They kill their prey by "constriction" (they are in the constrictor family!) That is to say that they "encase" their prey and squeeze. BUT...the prey does not die from the constriction (squeezing)...rather zoologists believe that the snake's coils put so much force on the prey that their body forces their heart to work too hard (just like blood pressure issues in humans) and the heart explodes/implodes within the prey because of the pressure put upon it to keep up.

• Once dead the snaked eats its prey head first (as do most snakes).

•  These snaked grow quite large and can eat an animal the size of  an antelope (there have been known human attacks and fatalities). Because they often eat larger animals (when available) they sometimes only feed sporadically (months at a time--depending on the size of the meal).

Now let me draw some conclusions...this snake's behavior, to me, in particular (and I am not "dissing" the snake--it is what it is) seems like a vivid and lifelike illustration of how Satan operates.

First he grabs and holds on tenaciously (until we fall prey to temptation--regardless of how "evil" it might be). Second, without the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, Satan will encase our very existence and begin to "constrict" whatever it is that God has in mind for us.

Left unrestrained he will eventually cause our hearts to work too hard (from the pressure that we are feeling, and our constant attempts at escape) and we will die.  Then Satan will consume our being, "head first" (so as to consume all the vital organs: brain, heart, lungs, etc... first)---we might still be kicking...but he knows that fight is over. Once the process is complete (bones and all) there is nothing left, no evidence, no marks, no suggestion that we ever existed...and that is EXACTLY what Satan wants...to steal your very existence.

It all seems quite gruesome doesn't it. Jesus states it rather eloquently when he states in John 10:10, "the thief (Satan) comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full (in abundance)."  Which life would you rather live?

I believe...help my unbelief...