A Dangerous Adventure

For the past few weeks, I've been thinking about what a life looks like that has Jesus as our One or primary focus. What does it look like to love Jesus the way He tells us He wants to be loved - with ALL our hearts, soul, mind and strength? As I've thought more and read more, I've come to understand that maybe there is a reason why I (you?) don't love God so fully, so wholly many times. Listen to what Kary Oberbrunner says in his book, The Journey Towards Relevance. "Why do the vast majority of people, inside and outside the Church, hide pockets of their hearts from God? Why do you and I fail to love God fully? Why do we prefer a dutiful religion that intellectually assents to a belief in God? Why are so few of us in a dangerous, adventurous, and passionate relationship with God? Why do guilt and fear characterize our faith when God longs for us to love Him with a fully engaged and reckless heart? I believe there is one main reason for our half-hearted attempts. Loving God without our whole self is safer? If we're honest, we'd admit we're deathly afraid of what it would mean to love Him with our whole hearts. He's a dangerous lover. He certainly cannot be controlled. So, we settle for a God who can safely love with our heads. We might throw a few dollars His direction. We might even attend a few religious services. Some of us may be extremely engaged in spiritual activities. But deep inside, we're deathly afraid. We appease Him with our works. We honor Him with our lips. But when it really comes down to it, who really wants to open his or her heart to a God who chose to let His own Son die? I mean right there, with that action, God clearly communicated that no one is immune to His crushing Hand, not even His own Son." Next time, I'll make a couple of comments about this thought and how it relates to something I taught on at our Gathering a few weeks ago from Luke 7:36-50. Read that passage and talk to God about your heart. I know that I'm talking to God about my heart and my love for Him. I really want to love Him with ALL my heart, soul, mind and strength - even though God is not safe...I know He loves me and will do what is best for me.