As I prepare to lead worship this week as Grace Community Church, I'm overwhelmed by this very simple statement-Counting on God!!! We are singing a song by Jared Anderson with this title, and it's a very powerful, beautifully written song that speaks of our reliance on God, but it's made me go much deeper in what I think it means to Count on God!!!
Growing up in an Evangelical Southern Baptist Church, I was tought that this is a one way street when it comes our relationship with God. I should rely on this picture of a distant God that reacts to how I approach Him in my life. THIS IS NOT AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF GOD OR OUR FAITH!!!
My actions do not dictate what God does at all! God moves independently of me, of us. He is already at work despite what I do or do not do. To view faith as a picture of us trying to invoke a desired response of God is moronic and very selfish, and dare I say, not faith at all! In polar opposite of most Americanized views of faith in God is a beautiful picture of a God that's revealing Himself to us in creative and different ways, and we can have the faith to respond to what he is doing and joining in the gorgeous song that He's singing, or we can choose to believe that God responds to what I'm doing, which totally paints a picture of us as God, and the Father as merely a maniacal genie in a bottle that shows up when we do what we're supposed to do.
Here's what blows me away: Not only does counting on God mean that we can see how He is working in this world and partner with Him, but it also shows a duality of faith coming from Him as well. Not only are we counting on God as our total reliance and selfless leading, He is counting on us to be agents of change in this world!!! How crazy is that??? God is counting on you and I to selflessly follow Him to carry out His will in this place. That humbles me.
I want to be crystal clear here: I screw up on an hourly basis if not more, and I am in no way, shape or form a genius, so please don't think I'm preaching here because I'm not!!! Moreover, I hope you view this as a conversation that I hope will make us reevaluate why we believe what we believe. Your beliefs may be different than mine, and that's awesome!!! But I do hope you would approach your view on faith humbly because there's a great chance we're all retarded when it comes to knowing or defining even the core aspects of God, because that's how big God is:)
I am counting on God, not the other way around. I hope I'm open to His movement in this world and that I can join in the eternal work that has always been going on, because cooperating with God even for the briefest moment transforms us, and it makes our "Faith" beautiful!!!
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Welcome to the blog world. Awesome post! I look forward to reading more!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good post. If this is only your first one, then you've got an amazing start. I'm going to use this as a reference because you are very good at explaining this.
ReplyDeleteCallisto and Kristin, thanks for the responses, I love your gaming piece on Gillette Callisto-good stuff, and Kristin, could you be any cooler:) Im serious-You rock!!!
ReplyDeleteCallisto great post on gillette's razor ad, interesting stuff:) Kristin, you rock!!!
ReplyDeleteTravis, I loved this quote. I posted it on my facebook a couple of weeks ago. Ties in with how there are so many ways we are told in society and different upbringings how we approach God. It works so much better His way....I so agree with your post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteReligion today is not transforming people; rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society's own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender. --A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)
Welcome to the blogosphere! Here's to open minds and interesting conversations.
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