A few days ago, I posted about an experience I had on a bus. It solidified for me the idea that faith is what allows us to live our lives for Christ, despite the consequences (not necessarily some power to change consequences as proof of my life with Christ). It's what makes Phillipians 4:13 make a lot more sense (I can live through these circumstances with Christ, as opposed to the interpretation given it by a Univ. of Tulsa football player on an FCA program... "We're going to have a winning record this season, because I can do all things through Christ..." BLAH BLAH BLAH.... That, my friends, is more what I think of when the Bible talks about taking the Lord's name in vain). But it sure doesn't leave a lot of room for "woe is me" grumbling, either. Every set of circumstances we face, every action we take, every decision we come to (every move you make, every vow you break... ahem... sorry) has the potential to either leave us where we are or draw us closer to Christ. And I don't think it all necessarily hinges on whether we make the "right" decision or not. Sometimes, making the wrong decision can be the best learning experience we would have. Maybe that's what people mean when they say, "It's all a part of God's plan." Maybe not.

It also doesn't allow us to shluff anything off. Even if you do believe that things can happen entirely by accident (Jimmy says he doesn't), that accident could teach you something, or somehow pull you closer to Christ.

So this should have quite an impact on how we live our lives, right? Everything I do is of eternal consequence now! What would happen to our lives if we stopped believing in accidents (or at least started believing that even accidents can have consequences the implications of which we will never understand)?

I'll tell you one thing, I'd quit swearing in traffic. I wouldn't get so mad. I'm supposed to be there! I can learn something. God is with me.

Would church™ play the same games if they stopped believing in accidents? Would they go into huge amounts of debt to cover their own butts? Would they have efficiency experts and marketing or PR campaigns?

What does it mean to your ministry if you stopped believing in accidents? What if you truly believed that Christ was in every situation?

Would you thank him for the pink slip? I don't think I would.

Would you finally say something the next time your executive minister gets up and says that we should cut certain ministries because "they're not bringing in a good return on our investment"? Yeah, I'd probably do that.

But it would change some things for the good, I think.
posted by Stephen at 11:37 PM | |