There is this idea in many Christian circles that the measure of one’s righteousness is directly proportional the measure of ones misery.  Christianity is defined by what you can’t do, or the trials you will face while not doing it, and is accompanied by scads of verses from the gospels and Paul’s letters.

The partakers of this belief system see excessive virtue in misery and tend to interpret scripture to that end.

Being a Christian does not mean being miserable all the time for the glory of God. (Amen)

It’s ideas like this that made it very hard for me to fully assent to the idea that God should be in control of my thoughts, ambitions, and destiny once upon a time. However, I’m here to tell you that following Christ is not synonomous with misery. He is not waiting to take away everything you hold dear. (“I have come to give you life and life abundantly.”) 

In order for you to understand my full argument here, it would probably help for you to know what I’m reacting to. This is not a thesis paper on suffering, joy, and following Christ.  It’s a brief response to an incorrect view of life.

“Jason and I broke up. I’m heart broken, but we have to be willing to crucify ourselves everyday and follow Jesus.”

“My car broke down, but I’m trying to take up my cross.”

“I have a hang nail but I will count it all joy when I suffer trials for His name.”

Do you see where this thinking leaves the truth and takes a rather self centered detour?  

Whenever we deal with scripture, we must also deal with the context of that scripture. For instance, when Jesus tells his disciples to “Deny yourselves, take up your cross and follow me.” he is speaking of a future event to the participants in that future event.

I am not saying that this verse has no context outside of its original context. Each of us should be willing to deny ourselves and take up our metaphorical crosses. But, for most of us, this will not play out in our lives in such a literal way as it did for the original recipients of Jesus’ message.

Similarly, when Paul calls it a blessing to suffer for Jesus, he is referring to literal persecution. He is not making a statement about following Christ day to day.

When we apply this to our car breaking down, it distorts the original intentions and the conclusions one can make from the word of God.

When Jesus told his disciples to take up their crosses…he was speaking to men (and women) who would follow Him into death as a result of their devotion. When Paul says to count it joy when you suffer for Jesus, he is speaking of literal physical and emotional persecution from the opposers of the Kingdom of God.  

Those verses do apply to our daily lives, but only as they relate to spiritual opposition we face as a result of follwing Christ. When we face trials or temptation because of our faith, we can apply those verses.  But the emphasis should not be on our misfortune; it should be giving more glory to God.

When Paul relates his suffering at the hands of sinners, he does so to give glory to God, not to highlight his trials.  Breakups can be heart wrenching. They can leave you feeling depleted and souless. Car troubles can keep us from happiness. But what should be our response to such things?

First we should remember that God is sovereign. Nothing happens by accident. We can take comfort in knowing that God has a purpose for everything that happens to us.  This could be for our own edification…to make us stronger, or it could be discipline.

For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. – Hebrews 12:6

He goes on to say that if we are not disciplined, we are not the children of God.

Paul also says “for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.”

No matter what happens to us, we should remember that God is in control, that he has a purpose, and that we should be content.

When we crucify ourselves, we crucify the sinful part of us…the corrupted flesh.  We crucify what keeps us from true joy–the joy of the Lord. Those that practice this know this.

We should be careful about saying anything that suggests anything different.

Anyone who knows me reasonably well knows that I have been working tirelessly and expensively on a media center for my entertainment center. (That sounds a little redundant.) This media center, for those who are not enthusiasts, will act like a Tivo, mp3 player, radio, dvd player/recorder, etc. It’s a jack in the box of entertainment fun!

As I’ve put more and more time and money into this project, I’ve found myself putting a lot of importance into its success. And this is partly natural…I doubt any of you would want to spend hundreds of dollars on a project and have it not work like it should.

 Well two weeks ago, the media center had some serious file corruption. I had to reinstall Vista. At the time, I was very depressed about it. It seemed like everything was going wrong in the world. Now if you think that is silly, you are correct.

I fixed this problem with about 5 hours of effort, and the world was once again my oyster.

During this time, I kind of felt like there was a possibility that God was trying to tell me something…that maybe I was spending too much time with ye ol’ media center and too little time with Him. Unfortunately, with my media center fixed this was no longer my concern. I didn’t think about it again. I simply started planning its implementation and spending more money.

The pinnacle of all this spending and enthusiasm happened last Sunday. The media center was ready to go. I had mounted my 42″ flat screen HDTV on the wall the day before. And I had spent at least 4 hours installing a giant antenna 30 feet off the ground out back so that we could receive free, over the air, HD football that night.

I set it all up; it was working perfectly.

And then, through the most unlikely chain of events, I decided to demonstrate its use to my roommate. This turned out to be the divinely appointed time at which I would learn my lesson once and for all about putting too much importance on a toy.  It was this very moment that my media center not only crashed, but refused to start. Why? The motherboard (If you don’t know what that is, it’s fine. Just keep reading.) had fried itself.

I immediately slipped into depression. It ruined the whole day. It ruined my night. It ruined Monday. (Which isn’t hard, because after all…it’s Monday.)

However, God did take the opportunity to show me why this had happened. In talking with two of my friends about this issue, I heard things like “Man, God must be punshing you.” or “Maybe God is trying to tell you that you are placing too much importance on your media center.”

Adding this to my internal suspicions, the picture was very clear.

Presently, my media center is still broken. I’ve learned to accept it. I will be trying to get the motherboard replaced by the manufacturer soon, but no longer am I going to allow it to be the most important part of my happiness.

Anything can be an idol. Let that be a lesson to you.

Cordially,
Clifton

“Repentance is not an emotion. It is not feeling sorry for your sins. It is a decision. It is deciding that you have been wrong in supposing that you could manage your own life and be your own god; it is deciding that you were wrong in thinking that you had, or could get, the strength, education and training to make it on your own; it is deciding that you have been told a pack of lies about yourself and your neighbors and your world. And it is deciding that God in Jesus Christ is telling you the truth. Repentance is the realization that what God wants from you and what you want from God are not going to be achieved by doing the same old things, thinking the same old thoughts. Repentance is a decision to follow Jesus Christ and become his pilgrim in the path of peace.”
- A Long Obedience In The Same Direction, Eugene H. Peterson

I’ve been going to Grace Free Evangelical with Stone and Shan and Mel for about a month now. It’s refreshing to be in a real church environment. Something about the way church is conducted at Grace is very different but very genuine. We like to joke that it is the “hippy” church because of it’s almost gaelic music and just different approach to church. The music has different melodies, ones that you aren’t used to and the accompanient often includes a flute, picolo, harp, violin, etc. The words to the songs are also different…they are very accurate. They quote scripture directly and use phrases that are unexpected (eg, “we are the sheep of your pasture”). The result is what it is: genuine, different, theological…and very much a “roots” Christianity, free from trendiness or distraction.

And that’s exactly what I like about Grace. It doesn’t try to impress. It’s music is very good. It’s audio/video adds very nicely to the service, but you never feel like you are being entertained. And it also isn’t a church that targets college students, most of the members are middle aged or older.

I like it. I wish more churches were as Christ centered as they seem to be.

In addition to everything else, the teaching is expository and fresh. Which brings me to the quote above. The “teaching” pastor as they call him read this before we took communion. As soon as he mentioned the title (A Long Obedience In The Same Direction) I was immediately captivated. That title has a whole sermon with its seven words. And beyond its own implications, it’s definition of repentance was equally fresh.

And so I share it with you.

I hope you enjoyed its perspective as much as I did.
Clifton