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More than happy
by Adam Bennett Western society is obsessed with meeting its own needs. Whatever makes me feel or look good is the singular objective and every individual believes in their innate right to do whatever makes them 'happy'. In many cases our churches, and God himself, have become mere ends toward the goal of happy individuals. God has become the great 'Santa in the Sky' who exists to bestow blessings on us. The Bible does say, "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that"... We would be happy or wealthy? Be fit and beautiful? Have a big church (and maybe a conference)? Or be successful or maybe have a successful ministry? The Psalmist actually says, "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations." (Psalm 67:1 ESV) The object of God's blessing isn't us at all. God's blessing is to display his glory and purposes, and lead people to a saving faith. This is not the nonsensical position that we must be successful and professional to attract people to the church. We should learn from Paul who, in an era when the value of a message was judged by the quality of its philosophical thinking and the presentation of the orator, said he preached, "not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." (1 Corinthians 1:17 NIV) If people are attracted to anything less than the glory and grace of God they will place their faith in something other than God and, like the seeds sown upon the rocky path (Matthew 13:20-21), are at great risk of falling away when the warm feelings recede. Copyright Adam Bennett 2009. More articles are available at http://godward-thoughts.blogspot.com/ Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |