Paradox Of Emotion And Reality

Excuse me if I don't buy into the line about what it means to be

a Christian.

I turn on my T.V. and see so many people teaching and preaching

about the incredible life that comes with being saved.

Now don't get me wrong.
I'm not saying that being a Christian isn't the greatest.

It is!

Man! I have been on the ride of a lifetime over the last

16 years.

But the ride has ups and downs.

In and outs.
Over and unders.

If you listened to the guys and guy-ettes on T.V.

you'd think that every one who is a Christian is the following:

1.) Rich (that's with hard cash)

2.) Beautiful (on the outside)

3.) Never had problems again

4.) Everyone had great relationships with everyone they knew

5.) They lived a life of what is commonly referred to as "mountain top experiences"

or

never being depressed or gloomy or tired or want to give up and quit.

Well! Truth is .......

that view is a bunch of hooey.

Here again, please catch what I'm trying to say here.

Life as a believer is the greatest.
It is the greatest because when the wheels come off....
when your own dog bites you....
when your check bounces...

when people make fun of you because you are some sort of "holy joe"..

when everything happens at once and you are clueless....

Jesus is there to get you through.

Sometimes there is a bonus and he takes you out of the trouble.

But no matter which---through or out...

You come away wiser and full of faith because of the trouble.

Here is one of my most favorite passages in scripture.

II Corinthians 4:8-9

We are hard pressed on every side by troubles,

but we are not crushed and broken.
We are perplexed, but we don't give up and quit.

We are hunted down, but God never abandons us.
We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.

Did you catch that?

All the stuff that happens....stuff we simply refer to as life?

Hard pressed...that means pressure and stress and worry and doubt and fear.

Perplexed? That means we don't have any answers to our problems.

In the past, I would have cut and run back to my old ways and habits in order

to escape having to deal with such things.

I'm older and wiser now. Not that I have arrived, I haven't.
I'm still learning.
Till the day I draw my last breath or Jesus comes to take us home...

I will be learning.

Happy New Year.

Please check out the latest message from 1/2/10 our Saturday night meeting.

I just finished downloading it to the pod cast thingy-ma-bob!

God on you......

mb