« May 2, 2006 | May 9, 2006 | May 9, 2006 »

Education Ministry

Posted on May 9, 2006 ...

Remember the old Burger King commercials? Hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t upset us. All we ask is that you let us serve it your way. Have it your way at Burger King. There is a simple reason why this ad works ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú it appeals to a basic human desire to have life on our terms. Even when it comes to God, a great many of us want Him on our terms, as well. We hear it all the time. People speak about God as if His primary purpose is to make them happy. They equate blessings only with such temporal things as financial prosperity, physical health, and personal security. And when life takes a bad turn, they lash out at God, blaming Him for their disappointments. ?¢‚Ǩ?ìThat?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s not fair,?¢‚Ǩ¬ù they say to God, as if the Almighty Himself had violated some higher standard to which even He is subject. These same people shrink from God?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s demand for holiness and sacrificial service; viewing such things as electives for the spiritual elite. They are content to have the joy of salvation, but want nothing to do with the long, hard road of sanctification. To put it bluntly, they want God on demand, but not God in command.
This may be in part because of the manner in which we first come to God. One day we realize that we are in dire need of salvation and we recognize God as the Source of love and forgiveness and eternal life. So we become Christians in order to receive these wonderful gifts. In a very real sense, we first come to God for selfish reasons. This is not wrong. Indeed, it must be from our great need that we cry out to God to save us. If it were not so, God would be more like our Partner than our Savior. It is necessary that we come to Him selfishly at first, for we know no other way. And since we will always be in need of God, it stands to reason that there will always be an element of selfishness in our approach to God. But this selfishness must not be allowed to dominate lest we see God only from this point of view.
Here is maturity in Christ, that we understand God does not exist for us, but we for Him. God on our terms really has no meaning at all. How can a created thing make presumptions upon the Creator? (See Job) It can only be God on His terms. As we study the life and teachings of our Lord we see this very clearly. Jesus (whom we are to imitate) did not approach life on His terms. Instead, He was obedient and subordinate to the will of His Father. And He said that those who wish to come after Him must also deny themselves. Indeed, giving up our terms is necessary to the Christian life. God is not a Burger King god. He is not interested in serving up life our way, nor is He waiting in the wings for a cue from us to come and do His stuff. He is the sovereign Lord of all Creation. He sits enthroned. He calls the shots. We can have Him no other way. - Michael