what amazed me today
…the gospel, which has come to you… Colossians 1:5-6
Why would God care to send the gospel to those people? What made them special? Then I think of me. Why did the gospel come to me? And I am blown away by those seven words. You see, I would prefer that God decided to send the gospel to me because He saw that I had something to offer. He noticed how useful I would be. He imagined the great strides I would make for His Church.
No, it came to me because the Spirit is like the wind, it blows where it wishes. I had nothing to offer. I was of no use. I could make no inroads towards the gates of hell to enlarge God’s kingdom. Without Christ, I was and still am a nobody. And still the gospel came to me. Still, the gospel—the wonderful grace of God that transforms me from nobody to child of God—comes to me.
Day by day, I have the opportunity to walk with the one who transforms hearts. I don’t have to settle for today’s me. For I know what the gospel can do. It transforms. It grabbed me by the scruff of the neck and transferred me from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son. It can do more. It does do more. God does not sit content with populating heaven. He desires to transform us into the image of His Son. And the gospel does that. As we spend time in His word, allowing our minds to bathe in the truth, the power of the gospel continues to transform us.
The gospel comes to us that we might be what God intended. Do not be content with who you are.
“Without Christ, I was and still am a nobody.”
Dont you have christ right now? why are you still a nobody? He must not have taught you well. Maybe he forgot about you.
I am incredibly content with who i am. I am a member of the most dominant species on the planet. Sadly so are you. but you dont see it that way. You think you are a pathetic nobody and you cant be anything without conforming to someone elses view of the world.
You can stay a pathetic nobody if you want, waiting for something to give you some sign of what to do with youself.
I on the otherhand, am somebody. Somebody who can make a change in the world.
I am in control of my own destiny. You Are not. I take pity on you.
Ross,
Thank you for your comments and taking the time to read the post.
However, I think you misread a couple of points:
Yes, I have Christ right now. I said without him I am a nobody. I probably should have said, “I was and still would be a nobody.” Thanks for pointing that out.
I never said that humans were not the most dominant species on the planet. I would agree with that statement. However, the most dominant species on the planet has made quite a mess of things from my point of view.
You, too, have conformed in some ways. No one is autonomous. We all will choose someone or something to conform to, however slight. I choose to seek to conform to God’s view of reality. You seek something else.
I wholeheartedly agree that I am not in control of my own destiny. No one is. While you may think you are in control, you are subject to others all the time. You do not know who will run a red light today and take out you or someone in your family. You do not know when the next terrorist attack will come that will affect you in numerous ways. You do not know when disease will strike. No one is truly in control of their own dsetinly, however highly we may think of ourselves.
Are you content with who you are? No more goals left to achieve? Maybe we are differing on the definition of content. I am content in my situation, but I desire to be more Christlike all the time. I do not need anything today to make me happy, but I do not desire to remain as I am. I want to be more loving to those around me, more patient, more giving. Yet I have great joy in today. I would hope that you don’t feel you have arrived and see no need for growth either mentally or socially or in how you hope to change the world. I would hope that you don’t think you are at the pinnacle of your identity.
I do not write to arouse your pity, but if you do not see the need for Christ, I can certainly see how you would have that reaction. Paul himself said, “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”
Michael
We see the world in two very different ways. You see the world as predetermined. God has decided everything already (even thought you also say god gave man free will, this is very contradicting).
Being subject to others doesnt mean i am not in control of my life. Yes a car crash could happen, or i could be in the wrong place at the wrong time when another terrorist attacks, but this is in no way god. These are the actions of other independently acting human beings. No god necessary.
If you were killed tomorrow by a terrorist bomb you would think that was god? im sure you’d come up with some reason for why god would do this to you. “it was your time” or whatever you want to say.
In reality, this was the decision of a human being who feels that HE was doing a service to god, by kiiling you. What kind of god would let this happen?
I am already an extremely patient person, I already love the people around me. I do not need a god to know that these are good virtues.
There is always further growth and change. Its called evolution.
You say you choose to seek to conform to Gods view of reality. Do you realize that what you are actually doing is seeking to conform to a set of rules that emperor constantine DECIDED should be the rules of christianity. Do you realize how many versions of christianity there are? Why are you catholic, or roman catholic, or mormon?
How are you so sure that the version of christianity you are following is the right one?
Do you see my point?
Not only the version of christianity, but christianity as a whole. The reason there are so many religions is because people make up their own religion when the ones in existence now do not fit THEiR view of the world.
There may be a god, but the religions of the world today are based on the ideas of primitive men who didnt know what lightning or the smallpox disease were. THESE WERE NOT SMART PEOPLE. and you still follow their lead.
Ross,
Yes, we do see the world differently. On that we can agree.
Being subject to others does mean you are not in complete control of your life. I never claimed that the car crash or terrorist attack was God or a god. But you are still not in control of every aspect of your life because you cannot control others.
I’m not sure I would think God was “doing” something to me because I was killed in a car crash.
“what kind of god would let this happen”
When I hear statements like this, I feel the person making them assumes that this life is all important. Why is dying in a car crash worse (or better) than dying from a disease? From our perspective, we might think, “how tragic,” but we do so from a limited perspective. The bigger question is what kind of God would put up with such obnoxious, hateful, prideful, and childish people as the human race? Our persepctive is so limited compared to God’s.
I never said you needed god to know that love and patience were good virtues, but I believe those virtues come from God. I know atheists who are kind and loving. I know Christians who are mean and nasty. Examples do not prove or disprove anything. The question is, do you love the people around you perfectly? Are you patient in all circumstances? Do you see any need to grow in any virtue, or do you assume you are perfect?
“There is always growth and change. Its called evolution.”
I am not sure I have ever heard someone describe becoming more lovinng as evolution. That’s a new one for me. Have to think about that.
Emperor Constantine did not decide the rules of Christianity. He didn’t show up until the 4th cent. The gospels and Paul’s, Peter’s, and John’s letters were written long before he came around. And I am not sure about the use of the word “rules.” Sounds like a social club, but sadly, many churches today function like that, so it would be easy to see Christianity as a rule-based social club by the way we act.
Now the rules of the Roman Catholic Church came about slowly over centuries, but I am not Roman Catholic. What do you mean by catholic? The initial use of that word was universal. In the early creeds, the phrase catholic church had nothing to do with the RCC. It just meant universal church. So, in that sense, yes, I am a part of the catholic church. Mormon: no. And what do you mean by versions? Denominations?
Most denominations differ on methods and emphasis, but most also agree on many essentials. But I do see your point, and I think about it often.
Am I sure I am right in all I believe? No. I search the scriptures often, read others’ opinions, question what I have been told, and think through various arguments on interpretation of scripture.
Again, thanks for the conversation.
Ross,
I didn’t see your second response up there.
I also hear that argument a lot: we are so much smarter than those people who “made up” the religions. And my question is how do we know? Because one has more information doesn’t mean they are smarter. Because one has an i-phone in their hand versus a telegraph pad or a fire and a blanket doesn’t make them more intelligent. Technology does not equal intelligence.
Do you not feel that this life is all important? I thought as a christian this life is a test for your golden ticket to heaven?
Am i wrong?
I definitely see this life as all important but for a different reason. I do not believe in an afterlife. I have learned about how christians, jews, egyptians, muslims, vikings, and many other groups of people view the afterlife.
The fact that everyone has their own concepts of an afterlife prove to me that it is all just speculation.
I believe that this life is important because it is the only one we get. Therefore, i can see the beauty in every moment because at some point in the future i will not exist.
What kind of impact will i make? How will people remember me when i am gone. This is what we all care about. Just for different reasons.