Equations

on Feb 09 in Church, Everyday Life, Faith

We all live with spiritual equations.  At their core, equations are a human’s attempt at making sense of the mysterious game of Cat and Mouse we seem to play with the Divine.  The mystery of that dance becomes more explainable when we use spiritual equations to help guide us.

Examples of equations might include:

* If I read my Bible and pray, then God will bless my life.

* If I’m a Godly leader, then my church will grow numerically.

* If I grow my kids God’s way, then they won’t lose their virginity too soon.

All of our spiritual equations have a left side, and a right side.  The left side starts out with an “If” statement.  It describes what we do – our actions, our expressions, our efforts to learn and to grow.

But there’s another side to those equations – where the fulfillment of the “if” comes into play.  The guarantee of our efforts comes after the comma, on the right side of the equation.  They always seem to start with “then…”.

If I don’t watch R-rated movies, then I won’t be prone to lust.

Churches teach and preach the left side of the equation really well.  Thank God for all of the practical Teaching Pastors who help the rest of us understand what we need to do, perform, and express.  But long-standing church members are running for the doors in record numbers, largely because the subtly promised right side of the equation doesn’t always come to pass.  Christians become cynical of church promises, and perhaps even distrusting of God Himself.

I read my Bible and I pray.  Yet God’s blessing is far away from my life.

I’m a Godly leader, but my church hits the 250 ceiling, and even a human sacrifice during a Sunday evening Prayer ‘n Share can’t seem to get us past that number.

I love my kids more than I can fathom, yet one of them ends up 15 and pregnant.

I’m concerned with the right side of the equation, for this is the side we have no right to ever screw with.  The right side of the equation is where we get into the most trouble.  Because in the heart of the right side of all equations, we put expectations on God.

We put expectations on the Divine Unexpected.

It’s where we become cynical, angry, and full of doubt.  The right side of the equation belongs to a sovereign God.  Strip Him of the right side, and we strip Him of His mystery.

Which is exactly what modern Christianity has done.

We have stripped God of His mystery.  Moses would certainly call this idolatry.  Paul might even call it heresy.

Crap.

There’s nothing mysterious about the life God wants us to live.  Far from it.  Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. Walk with 100% grace, and 100% truth.  Give to the poor and needy.  Love.  Exist in relational community.  There’s no mystery in those actions.  They’re difficult, but they’re far from mysterious.

The mystery comes after the “then”.  And that mystery is reserved for the right side of the equation.  The mystery happens in the way God responds to our efforts.  And if we’ve already decided how God should respond, then we’re really setting ourselves up for a huge disappointment.  Because He cannot, and He will not lower Himself to our tiny expectations of how He should act.

He loves us too much for that.