This made me think again about a book I just read and reviewed called When Bad Things Happen to Good People. In his chapter on Job, Kushner asks the same question of Job responding to God. It would seem to be a silly question but it is at the root of our pagan culture. We have this shrink wrapped, made in China, one size fits all view of God that is perpetuated by our culture and too many of our churches.
It is a good question to ask ourselves. “Are we going to base our opinions on what God said?” Actually that is a question that should be asked every time someone gets up to preach. We should ask ourselves the questions before we read the Bible. If the answer is “no,” at least we are clear and realize that reading scripture is really a waste of time.
It is a question I have asked myself. I have decided the answer is “Yes.” I am going to go extreme and make it not just my opinions but also my attitudes, my priorities, my entirety.
I am a long way from perfect in my application of this decision. There, I said if for you. I can live with that because I have decided to live with Him. Sometimes it is a daily decision. That is why I like the verse in Luke best, it includes the word “daily.”
(Luke 9:23 NAS77) And He was saying to them all, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.You need to make your own decision. Don’t put it off too long.
homo unius libri
And Maranatha!
ReplyDeleteThe fall only happened after Adam ate of the apple. "Eve was deceived, Adam sinned".
ReplyDeleteWhich brings up an interesting bit of speculation: What would have happened if Adam had refused and turned Eve in? I also sometimes wonder if things would have been different if they had confessed instead of hiding.
DeleteMore questions for Theology 101 in the New Jerusalem.
Grace and peace.