On Belay?
God created us to be incomplete as individuals.
Not because of the fall, or sin, or evil, but by design incomplete. Let’s just let that sink in for a moment.
Why would God value incompleteness over completeness enough to create that way? Remember, God, after creating the world and all that is in it, looked at it and said it was “good,” not “perfect”-- just “good.” Why?
With perfection the best you can do is be static. If you change there is only one way you can go. With good we have a great start, and we also have somewhere to go. We can grow and change and the process of that is celebrated and pleasing to God.
On a tangent, this is why if I had a magic button to press that would fix all of our parking and building needs for the next 20 years, I would not press it (though I would be very tempted). Why? Because the end result is not the point. It is the process of achieving the end result that God cares about.
In the end if we choose to spend a million dollars or more on parking and buildings, those buildings will just end up being destroyed along with the earth sooner or later, but God’s working in our hearts though the process of giving, and caring, and changing is what will last an eternity, and make a difference in our neighbors’ eternity.
Back to my original question . . . Why would God want to create us incomplete? Here is my best shot at it. He wants us to need Him, and need others to find fulfillment in this life.
Throughout history people have realized they need a relationship with God to find completeness. About 400 A.D. St. Augustine put it this way, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” And in recent days Plumb sings, “There’s a God-shaped hole in all of us and the restless soul is searching.”
But it is not just God we need to find fulfillment and be made complete. God also made us to need each other. Without other people, we can’t love, give, serve, or do any of the things that please God the most.
In my college years I developed a love for rock climbing. I spent way too much money buying gear, way too much time thinking and dreaming about climbing, and would climb everything insight. There is nothing quite like the feeling of looking straight down hundreds of feet above the ground with nothing below you but the rocks that you climbed up. It is a rush of fear, excitement, and accomplishment all at one moment.
I bring this up because rock climbing has become one of the images that comes to mind when I think of Linking-up. When you climb you are attached to other people so that when you fall they will catch you. Notice I did not say if you fall. Falling is a part of rock climbing just as falling is a part of life. You can not climb and not eventually fall, just as you can not live and not eventually fall. The difference is whether you will have somebody you are linked-up with to catch you before you hit the bottom. When life hits you the hardest, those who are linked-up in the church are the ones that will be “broken, but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned.”
But being linked-up with people when you are climbing is not just for the times you fall, but also for the times you succeed or need encouragement. If you “on-site” (succeed at a climb on your first attempt without ever having climbed it before) an amazing climb you need someone there to cheer you on and rejoice with you; in the same way you need people around you to share your joys and successes of life. Encouragement can also make all the difference as to whether you give up and say it was too hard, or whether you finish the climb and succeed. There are many times I would have walked away from a climb if it wasn’t for my friends having the confidence in me that I could do it.
Finally, in climbing you can accomplish so much more together than you can apart. If the Kingdom of God was left up to one man or woman, it would fall flat. When believers start working together to help people, we can make a real difference in this world.
I stopped my day today to think, pray, and find a way to put my passions on paper in hopes that somebody (possibly you) reading this article would made a decision to Link up (by Link-up, I mean make friends with a small group of believers that are focused on God’s purposes). By Linking up you will begin an exciting journey of finding completeness in God and your relationships with others. I pray you will take the leap of faith and see what God does.
Want to Link-up but aren’t sure how? Call me, I can help.
Here for you,
Pastor Jon
Not because of the fall, or sin, or evil, but by design incomplete. Let’s just let that sink in for a moment.
Why would God value incompleteness over completeness enough to create that way? Remember, God, after creating the world and all that is in it, looked at it and said it was “good,” not “perfect”-- just “good.” Why?
With perfection the best you can do is be static. If you change there is only one way you can go. With good we have a great start, and we also have somewhere to go. We can grow and change and the process of that is celebrated and pleasing to God.
On a tangent, this is why if I had a magic button to press that would fix all of our parking and building needs for the next 20 years, I would not press it (though I would be very tempted). Why? Because the end result is not the point. It is the process of achieving the end result that God cares about.
In the end if we choose to spend a million dollars or more on parking and buildings, those buildings will just end up being destroyed along with the earth sooner or later, but God’s working in our hearts though the process of giving, and caring, and changing is what will last an eternity, and make a difference in our neighbors’ eternity.
Back to my original question . . . Why would God want to create us incomplete? Here is my best shot at it. He wants us to need Him, and need others to find fulfillment in this life.
Throughout history people have realized they need a relationship with God to find completeness. About 400 A.D. St. Augustine put it this way, “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee.” And in recent days Plumb sings, “There’s a God-shaped hole in all of us and the restless soul is searching.”
But it is not just God we need to find fulfillment and be made complete. God also made us to need each other. Without other people, we can’t love, give, serve, or do any of the things that please God the most.
In my college years I developed a love for rock climbing. I spent way too much money buying gear, way too much time thinking and dreaming about climbing, and would climb everything insight. There is nothing quite like the feeling of looking straight down hundreds of feet above the ground with nothing below you but the rocks that you climbed up. It is a rush of fear, excitement, and accomplishment all at one moment.
I bring this up because rock climbing has become one of the images that comes to mind when I think of Linking-up. When you climb you are attached to other people so that when you fall they will catch you. Notice I did not say if you fall. Falling is a part of rock climbing just as falling is a part of life. You can not climb and not eventually fall, just as you can not live and not eventually fall. The difference is whether you will have somebody you are linked-up with to catch you before you hit the bottom. When life hits you the hardest, those who are linked-up in the church are the ones that will be “broken, but not crushed, persecuted but not abandoned.”
But being linked-up with people when you are climbing is not just for the times you fall, but also for the times you succeed or need encouragement. If you “on-site” (succeed at a climb on your first attempt without ever having climbed it before) an amazing climb you need someone there to cheer you on and rejoice with you; in the same way you need people around you to share your joys and successes of life. Encouragement can also make all the difference as to whether you give up and say it was too hard, or whether you finish the climb and succeed. There are many times I would have walked away from a climb if it wasn’t for my friends having the confidence in me that I could do it.
Finally, in climbing you can accomplish so much more together than you can apart. If the Kingdom of God was left up to one man or woman, it would fall flat. When believers start working together to help people, we can make a real difference in this world.
I stopped my day today to think, pray, and find a way to put my passions on paper in hopes that somebody (possibly you) reading this article would made a decision to Link up (by Link-up, I mean make friends with a small group of believers that are focused on God’s purposes). By Linking up you will begin an exciting journey of finding completeness in God and your relationships with others. I pray you will take the leap of faith and see what God does.
Want to Link-up but aren’t sure how? Call me, I can help.
Here for you,
Pastor Jon
posted by Jon Knapp at
9:34 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home