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 Wouldn't
it be nice if Jesus were tame? All we would have to do is
hold out the hoop of our desires and he would jump through
every time. But Jesus isn't tame. He doesn't jump through
our hoops. He refuses to always agree with us, especially
when we are wrong, even if we hold our breath until we turn
blue.
It's like
the story of the little boy who came running into the house
shouting that there was a lion in the yard. His mother said:
"You know that isn't a lion, it's a dog. Now go upstairs
and tell God you told a lie." When the boy came back
and was asked if he prayed to God, he said: "Yes,
and he told me that the first time he saw that dog, he thought
it was a lion too!"
I'm afraid
much of our Christianity is like that story. Simply a rationalization
to prove that God approves of our presuppositions. The purpose
of faith is not to get God to agree with us, but to get us
to agree with God. But so much of the time we come along with
the hoops of our desires wanting God to jump on cue. As an
old country western gospel song says: "Nobody wants
to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus, everybody wants to be
the leader of the band." Wouldn't it be nice if Jesus
were tame.
Peter
Marshall, the famous Presbyterian preacher, prayed: "Lord,
if we are wrong, change us. And if we are right, make us easy
to live with."
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