We Can't Have it Both Ways

This morning something struck me amazingly hard again while reading the first chapter of James. What if our understanding of a Christ-following life is incorrect?  What if we've allowed ourselves to receive teaching that contradicts the truth, the Way?  Do deceived people know when they are being deceived?  Stay with me here.

If you grew up "religious", you probably blamed yourself, your decisions and actions for all the circumstances you considered bad in your life, and credited God for all the things you considered good in your life.  If you grew up outside the church, it was probably just the opposite.  What if neither are correct?

I find it so easy to Praise and Thank God when things in my life are going what I consider to be well - I grew up in church.  In these "good times" I secretly, mostly subconsciously, think I must be being a good christian, a good "son of God" and not messing up too much to deserve something I consider bad to happen. If I can just keep my life between the lines God will keep my life in a state of comfort. Have you ever found yourself in this way of thinking? Is this the underlying message you've been taught?  Do you think it's correct?

What if God's Goodness has no correlation with our comfort?  What if God's Goodness replies to your request to "just use me God" by yanking you out of your comfort zone and putting you in a completely uncomfortable environment so you can reach a person that He knows can relate with your story, your testimony?  If you are like me, before it happens you're saying yes God, send me.  But as soon as He does, I start trying to figure out what I did wrong to deserve this punishment, throw a lavish pity party and begin complaining to God and others around me about the pain and suffering I am experiencing.  I'm so self-focused initially I miss the act of God's love to reach one of His sheep in need. He just did what I asked Him to do, I'm just complaining about how He did it.

Why do we do this?  Could we have a misconception of what surrender really looks like to Him? We are all about making Jesus our Savior, and kind of skip right over that Lord thing.  Problem is, Romans 10:9 puts making Jesus Lord of our life prior to Jesus being Savior of our life.
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved

It would sure explain a lot of frustration, and definitely the lack of His power in our lives.  If so, we need to recalibrate. What is God's definition of making someone Lord of our life really look like?

A look at Paul's life in the book of Acts would be a great start to answering that question.  Sounds like a next blog...

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