The Romantic Foolishness of God

I've been learning a lot lately, as undoubtedly, you have. God has a funny (and sometimes, downright frustrating) way of leading us away from those things we love to show us what we've been lacking, only to lead us back to them to show more clearly His amazing power, grace, mercy, and will.

This is one of those things for me. I love to expound on Scripture, but in order to do that, Christ showed me I have to be IN the Scriptures in order to have a firm foundation. Aren't you glad? It makes about as much sense as Oreos and milk, or a crowd smiling as they sing my band's song, We Are Happy. (sorry for the shameless plug....or am I?)

I've been wondering why we have lost our passion....maybe you haven't, but as a Church, let's face it. If we were truly passionate about Jesus, little things wouldn't halt us from screaming His name in a desperate attempt to show the dying world that they are indeed at death's door. And I don't just mean hell. I mean walking zombies....life is too GOOD with Christ to let everyone we meet walk through it without living it, ya dig?

Along that same line, we hear in so many songs and in so many Scriptures the awe-inspiring love Christ has for us, His bride. There is an unimaginable, and yet, unquestionable romantic love there. So why aren't we embracing it? I have a few things to add to this table.

First, especially where I live, men are only really men if they're manly. That seems funny at first glance, but you catch my drift. The minute you begin talking about the beauty of nature, poetry, reading books, and the wonder of your wife, you've lost points on the Men's Scale of Manliness. So to say that I'm in LOVE with Christ denotes a certain inferior, effeminate trait that most males do not want associated with their name. I'd even venture to say that we, as males, struggle with it because it seems homosexual.

But, here's the kicker. Christ set it up, so it's not like we see it. Remember, "my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, and my ways are higher than your ways." Sin is the only thing that distorts God's great plan for romance in each of our lives.

Read 1 Cor. 1:18-31.

We find here that it seems downright stupid to the world how a Christian is destined to act, speak, love, see, etc. In fact, God prefers this method of showing Himself, simply because it is so set apart, that is, sanctified, from the world's perspective.

Take faith, for instance. All "good" Christians say they have faith in Christ. But a large (more like enormous) majority of them only hold to that as far as eternal security is concerned. How about that abundant life that was promised by Jesus Himself? Why don't we trust Him with that?

Here are a few examples: the world says you should panic because of the economy...you should save, save, save, and the other person is on his/her own. What's the first thing we do? Stop giving "frivolously" to our neighbor in need (if we ever listened to the Holy Spirit enough to actually do something about it in the first place), put all the money back you can afford to, cut corners, and most times, the first thing off the list is the tithe. Now I'm no Biblical scholar, but I know the difference in the tone of a command and a suggestion. Christ's plan for tithe was that it be the first off your income, that it is mandatory as one who has been saved by God's grace, and that it helps sustain His lover, the Church. Seems absolutely foolish, right? That's how Jesus rolls.

What about jobs? The world says nobody has 'em, nobody's gettin' 'em, and the way they see it, if you have one, you're not gettin' paid enough. What happens when God wants you out of that job? Do you hold on tightly because it seems "logical" in your own mind, or do you jump ship when God says to, holding tightly to the confession of your faith in Christ?

You see, folks, we're so Greco-Jewish. That is, we are exactly what Paul describes in verse 22:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and a folly to Greeks...

How many times do we say, "I'll be a faithful follower when that trial comes my way, never doubt it!", but when that trial makes its way to our house, we fold? It happens all the time, and way TOO often in the Church.

To revisit Oswald Chambers, he says about the above quote that nearly all American Christians today share, "YOU WILL NOT unless you have risen to the occasion in the workshop, unless you have been the real thing before God there."

Remember the old phrase "Practice makes perfect?" Though not Scriptural, we can definitely apply it with God's stamp of approval to our prayer-closet times. Speak your faith and believe in the small things, be amazed, and watch the bigger things turn smaller before your eyes and the might of our incredible God. This only comes with submitting to His power and romance.

Be in love with Him; trust Him. These are the first steps to revitalizing the Church. Do the things, say the things, think the things that you know Christ is telling you to, no matter how foolish they seem, and you'll find that the next part in verse 24 is absolutely, unequivocally true:

...but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men, and the weakness of God is stronger than the strength of men.

Be bold in your faith. After all, God's bold in His.