I’m sad. My heart legitimately hurts. Why is it that we schedule our lives around Presidential debates but don’t make attending church a priority? Why is it that we are up to date on all the TV shows, but don’t remember the last time we opened our Bibles? Why do we know every word of the Hamilton soundtrack, but not one word of Scripture? This isn’t a bash on Hamilton, television or Presidents; it is simply my heart so sad that we have made an idol out of things.
It is hard to hear, but it is true.
Anything I put before God is an idol. Do you connect with your phone and social media platforms before you connect with God through prayer? Do you read Facebook articles more than your Bible? Do you gossip more than encourage? Do you slander someone who believes differently than you more than you pray for them? I’m guilty of this too, this is a confession and an exhortation wrapped into one thought.
Let’s call it what it is. We are conveniently Christians.
When it works for my schedule, I’ll go to church.
When something is wrong, I’ll pray.
When I need advice and the gossip isn’t cutting it, I’ll Google a Bible verse.
Or should we talk about the fact that we only use the Bible to prove that we are right? We don’t like verses that challenge or stretch our view of God. We believe that we are made in the image of God, but we live like God is made in the image of us. The very concept that God may be something different from me is repulsive so I don’t go near it. If we are a Republican, then Jesus, in our minds, is a Republican. If we are white, the image we have of Jesus is probably white. If we are middle class, that’s how we see Jesus. The list goes on and on and on and to be honest, it probably brings us further away from who God actually is.
I think it’s time for us to take a hard look at what the Bible actually says and who God actually is.
A few years ago I heard someone say that in the not so distant future, we will watch a generation of Christians set aside their Bible in an attempt to follow Jesus, and I believe we are there. If we are Christians who don’t base our lives and actions and thoughts on biblical standards, how are we Christians? If we are Christians who seek to prove our personal agenda while ignoring Scripture, then who are we actually following?
Historically, enormous shifts in culture brought people closer to God, but in a post-COVID world, I see people leaving the church in masses. The inconvenience. The division. The judgement. Instead of building one another up in love, we are tearing down each other based off of our own agendas.
I suppose that is what this whole rant comes down to. Who and what are we really following? Self-help books tell you that you become a combination of the top 5 voices you surround yourself with. If that’s true, who or what is shaping your voice?
I’ll give you a hint, if the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 is not found in your life, you may need to reevaluate who and what you are allowing to speak into you if you truly seek to follow Jesus.