I did some reading today that reminded me of this quote from a book I read a few weeks ago.
“The intelligent Christian does not serve God because he is afraid the world will go to pot without his efforts, but out of love and obedience to a Savior who gave Himself that we might be saved.” pg. 504
Alva J. McClain in The Greatness of the Kingdom
This book was written in 1961, but speaks to the common fear or anxiety driven motivation that many believers operate out of. I’ve been in meetings, conferences, and church services in which there is an evident angst involved in the mobilization of people for various causes. This recently was evident in California during the election and all the energy surrounding prop 8 – the marriage definition proposition. I’m not getting into that issue here, only saying that there were plenty of examples of fear and anxiety driven calls to action. More people engaged the election than normal out of a fear that the state/world was going to pot (though not everybody was driven by that perspective).
One of the great things about being a follower of Jesus, a child of God is to be able to live life from a secure foundation. I find myself getting blown about like a reed in the wind from time to time, but nothing like the case would be if I did not have a relationship with God. Through His work in my life, more often than not (but not as much as I would like) I am able to engage challenging issues without getting lost in them. Anxiety and reactivity draw us into dark places and that’s when decision making starts getting really bad and we function from places of fear and panic. Clearly we’re called to engage the challenging issues of the day, but not get lost in them. And we can only do that if we are anchored in something greater, something that provides us an identity outside of what we do or what happens to us.
If the fate of the world rested solely on our shoulders, we would have good reason for our anxiety and fear. But it doesn’t and I’m quite thankful for that.
Random Posts
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I think your comments are right on target. It is too easy for us to forget that while many of us have the illusion of control, God is in charge and our faith is integral to maintaining that focus. The Holy Spirit will lead us where He will.