A Recent Comment
Here is a recent comment I received from a reader:
Stupid Beautiful said...
Diane - Okay, I think that clarifies who your God is. My "God" wants to ask you something.Do you believe that words can have double meanings? The reason I ask is... my "God" is a rather poetic one, and when he wrote a whole bunch of things down over the last several thousands of years, he wanted to be sure they would give something the masses to chew on and digest and truly understand the words for all of the power and depth that they represented.Instead, my "God" is a confused God, because it looks like another "God" has taken up residence in the hearts of most of the "God People". Lets call them "God-Fearers".The "God-Fearers" seem to be quite certain that face value is all that a word can be taken for, especially if it comes from God. Examples:Hell: Not to be taken at face valueSatan: Also not to be taken at face valueRepayment in the end: Future-obssessed poppycock.God as a warrior: Hilarious mis-matched imageryMy "God" is slowly getting apathetic towards all of us ... because we are too wrapped up in his words to notice when he's in the same room as us.My "God" is going to go get a beer, and watch some TV, and hope that I join him soon. Because lets be honest: even Gods need a little love. Real love.
I decided to blog my reply today...
I guess for starters I want to say it seems to me that you must not mean much to your god if his word to you is only meant to trick you and hide its true meaning. I shudder to think what my marriage would be like if we only spoke to each other in riddles or double talk. We simply would not be capable of having a real relationship. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, "For God is not a God of confusion and disorder but of peace and order." God knows Who He is. He is not having an identity crisis. I do believe that there are a few parts of Scripture that are meant as symbolic, or as you say, can have double meanings. That, however, does not change the fact that it is inerrant or that the majority of it is meant to be taken at face value.
I'm sorry that your god is apathetic towards humanity. That does not speak very highly of him. Apathy has no place in love - 1 John 4:8 says, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love." Then we are given a description or a definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, "Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]." What kind of God would you rather serve - one who is apathetic towards you or One Who loves you?
It is a very convenient argument to simply dismiss all Scripture as "poppycock", but the courageous thing to do is to trust God and actually take Him at His word. You have to have some bravery in you to step out and believe - to ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Someday we will ultimately find out whose God (or god) is real and whose is man-made. We will find out which of us have served the true and living God and which of us have simply served our own image - our own selfish desires and agendas. Which of us have bent our knee to Jesus Christ and made Him Lord and Savior of our lives and which of us have bowed at the altar of selfishness. For here is the real issue of importance - deciding exactly what to do with Jesus Christ - we can create all kinds of gods for ourselves, but what about Jesus - do we dismiss Him like everything else? As far as whose God (or god) is real, all I can say is, I'm not worried...
posted by Diane @ 8:59 AM
4 Comments:
Yes, stupid beautiful, I can see how often obsession with one thing is a sign of some problem - a mental disorder, a well-hidden (or not-so-well-hidden) sin, that kind of thing. But, my friend, it can also be that those who obsess over one thing, or, in the case of this lady, one Person, may simply be caught up in Something (or Someone) so good that they cannot get past it, and would that they never get past it. Obsession in that case is an obsession with Love, born of Love, ignited and inflamed in Love, that will certainly end in Love.
It's a great Obsession - the greatest. And it's a great Invitation.
I've read the post here, and I agree with you that often we've misunderstood and misrepresented God as He has spelled Himself out in word. But we cannot and must not forget that the Christ that has pursued you to the farthest reaches has also ran after this lady here, and caught her, thrown her to the ground in a tumultuous, thundering, wrestling desire, adorned her with the ring of His authority and ownership, and sat her before the greatest feast ever known - right before the presence of her enemies, and has called her the Sought After, the Beloved. Sacred. Holy. His. The Treasure of the Kingdom.
May the both of you continue to find it in your hearts the guts to chase the Living One.
I'm glad you're posting, but please keep it clean - no profanity or I'll have to delete your comments. Thanks!
Dude, you're cracking me up. Who you really "pissed" at? (Sorry, Diane)
Lol. Dude, if you think that was irreverent, you should check out the parables of Jesus sometime. He is sometimes cryptic, sometimes obscure, sometimes sacrilegious, mostly shocking, always provocative. Most of them were pretty shocking, like the parable of the prodigal son. Check it out here.
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