Because It Is Bigger Than It Seems

Jesus tells us he is present in the weak, the vulnerable, the useless. He is there in the least of these (Matt. 25:31-46). Somewhere out there right now, a man is wiping the drool from an 85 year-old woman who flinches because she think he’s a stranger. No television cameras are around. No politicians are seeking a meeting with them.

But the gospel is there. Jesus is there.
-Dr. R. Moore, Moore to the Point, Christ, the Church, and Pat Robertson

Because it is bigger than it seems, you should consider reading the above linked article.

I saw that Pat Robertson was trending on Twitter today. Generally I leave the trending topics be because I end up getting frustrated with the power of stupidity to organize on a grand scale. However, this time my curiosity got the better of me and I clicked the link.

The first thing I saw was a tweet by Dr. Russell Moore.

Pat Robertson's latest craziness isn't just an embarrassment. It's a cruel repudiation of Christianity itself. -@drmoore

I can't say that I idolize Dr. Moore, but when he speaks I tend to take notice because he has shown himself to be a man given to Christ with a desire for others to see Christ. That statement carries more weight than it may imply, but essentially it means, for me, he has shown himself to be a Brother in Christ with a gift to teach. He has been gifted with a fair amount of wisdom, and I don't quickly brush him off.

After seeing Dr. Moore's tweet, I went ahead and followed down a massive row of comments until I found a link that took me to the offense in question. What I had found was more than a little troubling: Pat giving a green light for divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s disease.

Immediately I had the same gagging reaction to this horrible statement as when I listened to Calvary Chapel's founder Chuck Smith all but encourage a woman to have an abortion some time back. (Google it and make up your own mind about that situation.)

Still, I was fine with the disgust, and not the least surprized by Pat Robertson's crazy, and I was simply ready to close out and go on with my day. Then I saw a link to Dr. Moore's insightful article that drives an incredibly important point home; a point that I believe is applicable in more just this one situation.

I strongly encourage you to to read the article. It (this situation) is bigger than it seems.

Luke 22:42

"Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." -The Lord Jesus Christ, Luke 22:42

What did it cost? Jesus Christ, obedient even unto death, in His love for us, did what we could not do. Having perfectly fulfilled the Law, He laid down His life for our sin, that we may be imputed His righteousness as He bore our sin and suffered our wrath. Having done this, for we who are in Christ Jesus it may be said:

"There is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus." -Romans 8:1

And I...in all my transgression, having been so fully F O R G I V E N because Christ suffered and died in my place...I am S T A G G E R E D and brought to my knees! Unable to fathom the love of God, the mercy of God, the compassion of God, that at the cross would fall upon me.

I am staggered.

Save me, O God. I am yours. Save this family, for we are Yours. O God, there is none greater and able than You.

A Proper Introduction: Confession

I try to convince myself that I have it together; that I got this life figured out. I'm afraid that if I can't fool myself, then no one else will believe me either. I forget that they don't believe me. They see clearly the broken man that I am.

I have enough scar tissue to trace out a road map leading from the hell I came from to the amazing grace that saved this wretched man that I am. And though rescued, there are still nights when the old wounds ache and I must put my feet to the floor and run to the Father's arms. It is in those painful hours that I am most grateful for God's continued forgiveness, and the heart He has given me to continue in repentance.

In the most honest assessment of myself, I am a goofy twenty-eight year old husband and father. I am not the perfect anything; I don't come close to perfection in any aspect of my life. What I have here is a serious work in progress with many parts left unfinished. I often want to be what I am not, and grasp what I can't have.

When I open the Scriptures, I don't see you. I see myself, and myself falling so far short that how dare I puff up with any sort of pride. I've come a long way, but I have so much further to go in rightly reflecting Christ. The progress I have made, that's not my work nor my doing, but the work of the Spirit in me. Where I screw up and fail...yeah that's all me. And I am good at screwing up.

You can find me most days meditating on the Scriptures and clinging to the Gospel. It is not because I think that I am somehow holier than you. On the contrary, I know the wreckage I am apart from Christ. I know the Old Man is always lurking near; and I hate that man.

If you offer me moralistic deism or religion, I will turn away your idols. I've already been down that road, and it almost killed me. I have many rough edges still to be smoothed over by the hand of my Savior. He's working on me. Maybe not in the way you'd like, but His work is far better than yours.