Consider this artcile in today's Tennessean. The story is about a group of church members filing a lawsuit against their church leadership over finanicial records. And this relates to loving God and loving each other (commandments 1 & 2) how exactly? It seems like these members care more about the legacy of a building than glorifying God. This is a good reminder that we must never love the instituion more than the Lord Jesus and our fellow brothers in Christ.
Around the turn of the century, the London Times invited several eminent authors to write essays on the theme "What's Wrong with the World?" G.K. Chesterton's contribution took the form of a letter:
Dear Sirs,
I am.
Sincerely yours,
G. K. Chesterton
In the same way, I can't help but wonder that if the question was asked, "What's wrong with the church today?" - could the answer be:
Dear Sirs,
We are.
Sincerely yours,
The Body of Christ
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Meaning of Life
Maybe you are like me and remember looking out your bedroom window as a kid and letting your mind ponder the deepest questions of life. "Isn't it strange that there would be a thing called "Earth" and that living things called "humans" would "live" on it?" On one hand, I knew all the Churchanese answers as to why we were all down here on earth - because God created us to be in fellowship with Him, etc... But I couldn't help but ask myself "Why?"
Why would a God who has existed for all eternity (try to fathom that) decide to create us? I suppose its a lot like asking why a circle is round. While I guess there is not a way to answer this question (because we're not God), I wonder how often we really think about the meaning of life. Our society likes to jokingly reference "the meaning of life" when talking about heavy subjects. But how should we answer this question - both in our own mind and in the mind of the skeptics we encounter everyday?
Ravi Zacharias points out that there are four aspects to the question of meaning in life. Wonder, truth, love and security, and that these four aspects are all contained in the worship of God. A sense of wonder that says there is something out there that ought to be revered, a perpetual novelty that overcomes the boredom of adulthood; a knowledge of the truth about who we are and who God is; the infinite love experienced through the grace of Jesus which in turn gives expression to every earthly relationship; and the security of knowing that death has been conquered and we will spend eternity with God our creator. All of these amazing truths are wrapped inside the worship of God, so that worship is not fragmented capsules in time (ala Sunday morning music), but a moment by moment outpouring in the life of a Christ-follower.
The world can offer the occasional sense of wonder, a nugget of truth here and there, loving relationships with our family and friends, and security in our own piles of cash. But how awesome to know that there is a God who fulfills our deepest need for meaning by giving us the desires of our heart - wonder, truth, love and security.
Why would a God who has existed for all eternity (try to fathom that) decide to create us? I suppose its a lot like asking why a circle is round. While I guess there is not a way to answer this question (because we're not God), I wonder how often we really think about the meaning of life. Our society likes to jokingly reference "the meaning of life" when talking about heavy subjects. But how should we answer this question - both in our own mind and in the mind of the skeptics we encounter everyday?
Ravi Zacharias points out that there are four aspects to the question of meaning in life. Wonder, truth, love and security, and that these four aspects are all contained in the worship of God. A sense of wonder that says there is something out there that ought to be revered, a perpetual novelty that overcomes the boredom of adulthood; a knowledge of the truth about who we are and who God is; the infinite love experienced through the grace of Jesus which in turn gives expression to every earthly relationship; and the security of knowing that death has been conquered and we will spend eternity with God our creator. All of these amazing truths are wrapped inside the worship of God, so that worship is not fragmented capsules in time (ala Sunday morning music), but a moment by moment outpouring in the life of a Christ-follower.
The world can offer the occasional sense of wonder, a nugget of truth here and there, loving relationships with our family and friends, and security in our own piles of cash. But how awesome to know that there is a God who fulfills our deepest need for meaning by giving us the desires of our heart - wonder, truth, love and security.
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