More than a Textbook (This Pastor's Struggle)

I was filling out my application for Dauphin Bible Camp this past week and there was a question regarding my personal devotions.  As I was taken aback by this question, for a Pastor of all people, I stopped and evaluated.

What is the state of my personal devotions?  I get paid to spend time in The Word and to pray and to be spiritual...but when I am not working my 40 hours per week, is my life filled with God?

I googled the definition of devotion and this is what the computing machine came up with:

1. love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity, or cause.

2. prayers or religious observances.

So, the conundrum I run into as a Pastor, who is paid to have love, loyalty, and enthusiasm for Jesus and observe prayers and religious observances, am I working when I spend time with God and in the Bible?  How does one separate the two?

While a student in Bible College, I remember my English teacher, who is now President of the College, we were warned in our time studying the Bible, it will become more of a textbook than the Living Word of God.  And that exact thing happened.  I would go to church and try to figure out what the pastor said wrong.  In my mind, I knew all the answers, but my heart was not transformed.  It took some time after my first stint at Bible College to realize, my heart wasn't in it, but my mind was.

Now, 14 years later, I am a Pastor and it's the same thing again.  It brings me back 6 years or so when I was working as a carpenter.  I would work all day with wood and when I came home, I didn't want anything to do with renovating our house.  I wanted to separate work with non-work.  Therefore, very few projects got finished at our house.

Now, it feels like the same thing.  We are all called to be Christians (Christ-like) yet, I get paid to do it too.  But, our walk with God needs to be personal too.  Am I being Jesus to my family?  To the grocery clerk?  to my neighbour?  So, in a way, we are all called to be Jesus-people every hour of every day.

My struggle is that I desire to personally love God with all my heart.  And my desire is that I would not be a Christian because I have to for my work, but I desire to from my innermost being.

Are We All Girls?

Sorry, this edition has no pictures

Our Devotional one evening at Youth Group a few weeks ago was ‘Question Time’  It is my belief that Christians should not shy away from difficult topics, but take them on headfirst, knowing we have our Creator and His Word backing us up.  I will openly admit there are nerves that tingle inside me as I open the floor for questions as many questions come for left field.  My only rules are that no question is off limits (although some may be inappropriate and will not be answered) and no topic is off limits, the Youth can ask anything from my favourite colour (purple) to if I believe in pre-tribulation.

The question period started tentatively, “What is your favourite colour? do you like Anime?”  moved onto “What is your favourite verse in the Bible? and what is your Life Passage in the Bible?”

Then the doozie came, I will try to quote it word for word as it was a well worded and thought out question, “If Jesus is God’s only Son (John 3:16) and we who believe in  Him are Children of God (John 1:12), Are we all girls?”

I would like it if you were to stop for a minute and digest this question.  It is quite simple question, yet the answer (if there is one) is quite complex and will share with you my thoughts on the subject.

Immediately, my imagination flew to a Johnny Cash song, “Boy Named Sue” and I thought of some high falooting parents enrolling their son, Sue, in a prestigious Catholic Boarding School and when he arrives, realizes it is for Girls only, but they have chapel right away and they are sitting in the church Mennonite style and the one by is on one side with 200 girls on the other.  It made me laugh when I the picture came to mind, but back to the matter at hand, Are we all Girls?

The easy answer is No, yet the Church is referred to the Bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2), so the other simple answer is Yes.

From my remembrance of the way marriage worked back during Jesus’ time, a man would approach the father of the girl he wanted to marry, there would be a dowry paid, the couple was betrothed and there was a 1 year wait time before the two began living as a family and starting life out together.  For all Legal purposes though, the two were legally bound at the acceptance of the proposal.  There was a great anticipation of the Bridegroom coming to claim his Bride.

We, who are bound to Christ through His death and resurrection eagerly anticipate His return.  So, we who know Him, have been bought for a price and we eagerly anticipate being united with Him when He returns.

So, Are we all girls?  Physically, no, yet Spiritually, we should all have the heart and excitement of a woman who has just been proposed to as we eagerly await shedding this sinful self and forevermore will dine with the King!