It's in our nature to make the simple complex!

 In the introduction to Hebrews in The Message Eugene Peterson writes (adapted):

We can’t get too much of God, can’t get too much faith or obedience, can’t get too much love or worship. But religion – the well-intentioned efforts we make to “get it all together” for God – can very well get in the way of what God is doing for us. Doesn’t matter the circumstance: in good times or bad our tendency is to add on, supplement, and embellish. But instead of improving on the purity and simplicity of Jesus, we dilute the purity and clutter the simplicity. We get in the way of God. He goes on to write, “That’s when it’s time to read and pray our way through the letter to the Hebrews again, written for “too religious” Christians. Written for “Jesus and” Christians.

I wish that was true of other people and not me but it’s not. I make the simple complex by getting hung up on the unimportant. You know like a child who fusses over the cup their juice comes in rather than the juice. The Pharisees concerned themselves with their appearance more than their character. Jesus called them out on that. Too often we make life and living about ourselves AND Jesus. Jesus AND my belief, Jesus AND education, Jesus AND politics, Jesus AND my right behavior, you get the picture.

This becomes true (well it’s true all the time) but more evident when we are aggravated that life seems unfair. That someone else is not doing what they are “supposed to.” Yet WE are and THEY seem to “win” or have it better than us. Tuesday as I walked with the dog early in the morning I found my conversation (the one in my head) to be exactly that. It was Jesus AND my righteous behavior. IT JUST WASN’T FAIR. At least as far as I was concerned. If I was God… That is the problem. I want to be God, me AND Jesus.

Reliant K penned a phrase “the beauty of Grace is it makes life not fair.” That’s what I’m counting on, not getting what I deserve in all fairness. Yet, I want to require fairness (karma) for everyone else. I am a hypocrite. I want my cake AND eat it too. I overheard a child on the bus this morning telling another to “shut up.” Their reasoning was they were not the boss of me. I reminded the child speaking they were not the boss either. Yet that is exactly what they were trying to do. I learned it from them?

What I need to learn is found in the words of Jesus (go figure), “Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.” Matthew 11:28-30 The Message

 

I have MUCH to learn about “unforced rhythm” AND Jesus. 

In HIS Service and yours,

Bro G