sentimental culture

 

            In this nation, we have developed a "sentimental culture." By that I mean, many have developed a self-pitying attitude that causes them to be acutely affected by emotional matters. We want everything to be warm, fuzzy, and romantic. Anything that challenges that warm, fuzzy and romantic feeling is met with resistance.  This plays out in politics as well as our personal lives. It's plagued denominationalism for a hundred years, and is even seeping into the church of our Lord.

            Just how "warm, fuzzy, and romantic is the God who flooded the entire world, ridding it of every man, woman and child, because of sin? How about the God who destroyed the mighty Egyptian army in order to save His chosen people?  The incarnate God who vilified the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees? or the God who overturned the money-changers tables in the temple? Or the God who quiets storms and then scolds His disciples for their lack of faith? How warm, fuzzy, and romantic is the God who confronts demons and casts them out?

            Contrary to popular belief, God does not burst into tears when I stub my toe, or accidentally step on my dog's foot.  Yes, God is love (1John 4:16), but He is also a "consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).

            We are getting too comfortable with God. We expect Him to make us feel warm and fuzzy all the time. However, the Bible does not give us such a picture of the God who endured the Cross to save us from our sins.  God is Holy and majestic beyond our imagination; even the Seraph Angels that come into His presence cover their faces because of the great glory of our Creator (Isaiah 6:2-3).

            In spite of this, it seems we are always trying to whittle Him down to the size of our small minds, insisting on confining Him within the boundaries that only WE are comfortable with. We refuse to think of Him in any way other than what is convenient to our particular lifestyle. When we do this, we are NOT dealing with the God of creation, or the Christ of the Cross, but rather we are dealing with a god that we  have created in their own image.

            In our minds, we build our own little temples. We confine God to our imagination, and offer only those sacrifices that we want to offer.  We turn away from the command to "offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord" (Romans 12:1-2).

            The church of the first century "…had peace and were edified. And walking in the FEAR of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied" (Acts 9:31). It seems that the majority has no idea what it means to "walk in FEAR of the Lord." They consider God to be too sentimental toward their petty, worldly pursuits. Their arguments go something like this: "Jesus wants me to be happy, and I am more happy with this man than my husband, so Jesus wants me to divorce my husband and marry this man!" 

            We are to "fear" God, and "love" Him. Perhaps an illustration would be like gathering around a campfire with your children. You enjoy the flames, warmth, and family fellowship the campfire offers; but at the same time you instill in your children a healthy sense of fear of that fire that you are enjoying so much, knowing that fire can burn, maim, and even kill. The same could be said about electricity. We enjoy thousands of benefits from the power of electricity, but still, we must live by the rules of electricity. Much harm, and even death can come if we don't. The same is true with God.

            God came to us in Jesus Christ; He stormed through Galilee; stilled violent storms; healed the sick and disfigured; and even gave life to stone-cold dead bodies. There is the tendency to think of Jesus in only a sentimental way. We are told that He can sympathize with our infirmities (Hebrews 4:15), and that's Good News! But let's never forget that He is "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Revelation 17:14). He came to show us the Way to the Heavenly Father through the remission of sins. We must live our lives within the perimeter of His rules (the Bible). God has so laid-out these rules that it is impossible to keep them unless we genuinely love Him. To love Him, we must know Him. To know Him, we must learn of Him. Jesus invites us all, "Come learn of Me…" (Matthew 11:29). Study your Bible   --Toby Miller

                                                                                                                    Stay Hungry - Toby Miller