Day 17 - The dangers of wedding good circumstances and bad too tightly with God's favor or displeasure
Scripture focus: Satan retorted, "So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can't lose!" Job 1:9-10 (The Message)
I once heard a preacher say that Satan's plan to kill, steal and destroy hasn't changed much over the years because it hasn't needed to. We continue to buy his lies. Lies like: God only loves the children that behave. Or God loves the prodigal, but don't try his patience - if you are a prodigal shape up fast. Or how about this one - God blesses the good, and punishes the bad - so watch out, mister! And so, when Satan comes to tempt us from our romance with God, we are so easily led astray. His arguments make sense to us - because, frankly, our belief system is often faulty, leaving us vulnerable.
I used to think this was a direct result of bad, inadequate or the absence of good biblical teaching. I don't really buy that argument anymore. Jeff VanVonderen and Dale and Juanita Ryan have provided a vocabulary for a more satisfying answer. For me, I think my reluctance to let God be God - giving and giving and giving himself to me - has left me vulnerable to Satan's influence.
If I could just learn how to perform, or even up the accounting ledger of good versus bad behaving - I'd be free!! I, like those two prodigal sons, find it difficult to truly understand that God gives, and I receive. I feel exposed. But after years of chewing and growling over the word of God like a dog with a meaty bone, I move in my mindset from reading the prodigal son story to reading the prodigal SONS story and my spirit sings out, "This is true. This is true. This is what that parable means. This is how it applies to you. This is a fuller understanding, completely congruent with the totality of the word of God. This is it."
I'm not alone in my gushing. Our son Scott is taking a class at Fuller from Professor Ryan, so I sent Scott a rough draft of this month's devotionals, and asked him, "Son, have I captured the essence of the teachings of Dr. Ryan?"
His reply: "This is the single most important concept in all Christianity." We McBeans love the big statement.
So here's the point: God's ways and ours are different. We prefer to perform; God prefers loving, unconditional relationship. We prefer tidy endings; God loves a good paradox. We prefer to think of ourselves as powerful; God delights in our acknowledgement of powerlessness. Messy testimonies, unpredictable twists and turns in the plots of our life story do not disqualify us from the kingdom of God.
Our needs, wants, desires, longings and yearnings do not intimidate or disgust God.
Recommended reading: Acts 4-6
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