Come Down to the River

A lot of times I want to grab Christians by the face and tell them that what Jesus did was and still is enough. Tell them to stop worrying about relationships that are or aren't happening, the money that they do or don't have. I want to tell people that the gifts they haven't earned aren't for them anyways. That the church isn't about them. That participation in the good things doesn't get you even a step closer to salvation. If you ask me one thing that I've learned within the past year, it is definetly the thing that I guess I was "supposed" to have learned a long time ago. I've spent quite a bit of time in Luke over the past year. I've noticed that the Pharisees tried too hard, the disciples just didn't get it, and that what's at God's heart is usually different than what's at mine. I've also noticed that God is in control of you and me and everything else and nothing will ever ever change that. I'm pretty sure that the main reason I didn't go into full-time ministry like I had considered several times is because we rarely get it right. Not saying that people who are in full-time ministry are lacking something, cause they definetly are not. I reckon ministry, to me, is a Tuesday. It should be a normal everyday occurance that's not perfectly thought out or planned or carefully evaluated at the end. Nor should it have a hint of ourselves in it. It took me leaving college, where ministry was at its peak, to realize that. I've really looked at how Jesus hung out with the people on the other side of the tracks, the sinners, the people who seem to be lost and messed up. I noticed how that is me. For all the moral things I've accomplished in my life, I see that it's gained me nothing. And that, my friends, if anything should be a burden to me. After learning that I suck at just about everything as a Christian, I see that that's just the point! Jesus and what he did is enough. Nothing else required. Maybe real maturity comes when you wake up everyday still realizing that you're thirsty. We can't accept His grace if we never believe that we need it. cool.