Consider This

"If you're afraid of God, you don't know him." ~ Brennan Manning

That quote is one of the first ones I wrote down during the retreat I attended last weekend.

Brennan Manning said it--but is it true? What about all those "Fear God" Scriptures? Deuteronomy 10:12 says,"And now, O Israel, what does the LORD God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God . . ."

A Pharisee--Accidental or otherwise--will jump on that "Thou Shalt" and do it--waiting for God's approval. Fear God? I can do that!

But does fearing God mean I am afraid of him?

Brennan Manning said, in this context, fear means silent wonder, affectionate awe, a radical amazement at the infinite God.

If you take the time to do a little word study on the Hebrew word for fear, you'll find out Brennan Manning is right.

God doesn't want me to be afraid of him.

He wants me to be amazed by him.

Only by knowing God can I be amazed by him. Only by understanding who he is can I be overcome by awe.

If I'm keeping my distance because I'm thinking God's out to get me--then I don't know God.

And I confess: There have been too many years when I didn't know God. I settled for fear rather than amazement.

Just Thinking Out Loud: We Accidental Pharisees often have a fear-based relationship with God. We're afraid that if we don't do things right enough, God will not be pleased with us. We're trying to build a bridge to God--a bridge made up of all our right actions. It spans a chasm filled with all our mistakes. If I'm so caught up being scared of God, I don't know him--and I'm missing out on all the opportunities to stand before him and be amazed by who he is and what he has done in my life.

God isn't safe--but he's good

"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.

"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. "Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about being safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king, I tell you."

~ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

My husband and I finished watching The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe last night with our seven-year-old daughter. Before she could watch the movie, I read the story out loud to her at dinnertimes. That's a Vogt family rule: Read the book first, then watch the movie. Any book, any movie.

Reading Lewis' book and watching the movie makes me want to shake off my oh-so-safe dealings with God and let him be anything but safe in my life. I want to believe that God is good--and not at all safe. I want to embrace that in a way that says I can trust a God that big, that unfathomable. I want to be safe with a God who isn't safe--but is good.

And then I put the book back on the shelf. And I put the DVD back in its case.

And where does this oh-so-unsafe-but-oh-so-good God go?

I lose sight of him.

To use today's venacular, I downsize God. He's not safe. He's neutralized. He's ineffective. And he's not good. He's just ... okay. He's not a lion. He's a domesticated housecat.

Shame on me.

(And if my friend, Tiffany, is reading this post--bear with me for a moment. I need to feel the weight of this for just a moment. Then I'll take it to God and ask him to lift it off my shoulders.)

I wish I was brave enough to pray that God would show up in large, outlandish, living colors in my life. I wish I would open my arms wide and let God be God. Not who I think he is. Not who I'm comfortable with. Not what others tell me he has to be/must be/should be.

I'd like to experience the paradox of not safe and good.

I think you can only find those two opposites in God.



Thinking Out Loud: We Accidental Pharisees play it safe. We want to be good and we want God to be safe. We're limiting God--and thinking we can be more than we are.

The Mountain Top

"Never allow God to show you a truth which you do not instantly begin to live up to, applying to your life. Always work through it, staying in the light."

~ My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers

Ran away to the mountains last week. Of course, I took my husband and my youngest daughter with me--and a few of our closest friends. And their dog.
Honest.
We had a great time, relaxing and snowshoeing and watching the snow fall and watching the kiddos play.
And, without the television on and the To Do list staring me in the face and the phone ringing, I had time to dive into God's Word. It was wonderful. I know, I know. I should make time to be in God's word. But, true confession, I don't. I just haven't been making it a priority like I want to.
It was so, so, so refreshing to be reading because I wanted to--and not because I had to. It was so good to have the time--not to have to make the time.
You know what I mean?
I stayed in the light.
Intentionally.
I was intentional about my relationship with God. I spent time with him because I wanted to. And, as I drew closer to him, I didn't hear him saying, "Where have you been?" in a condeming sort of way. I heard him say, "Where have you been?" in a welcoming sort of way. It made me want to come closer to him.
Thinking Out Loud: It's all about tone. We Accidental Pharisees have got God's voice set on the wrong tone. We think God sounds legalistic and demanding and condemning--even when Scripture clearly says, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" (Romans 8:1)
I once asked Wise Guy to record the Bible for me because I like the sound of his voice. I would want God to sound like him. Who is the most inviting, loving, welcoming person you know? I bet God sounds like that person.