The values that are basically responsible
for where I am today, have been WRONG. Ambition, determination, strength, hustle, competitiveness, analyzing, critiquing, judging, striving for excellence, are all worldly values, where reality is informed by eyes and ears, not Scripture. “And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another.” Eccl 4:4
When I became a Christian at age 24, these values of the right-side-up kingdom of this world, continued to be central to my life as a believer. A worldly Christian — even though I’ve been in vocational ministry for 40 years, and would have been highly offended at such an accusation. These worldly values have failed to produce happiness in me, and I’ve lived in denial of this. Only the values of the Upside-down Kingdom of Jesus, have ever produced happiness in me — DEpendency on Him, cluelessness-I-know-what’s-best, curiosity/expectancy to see what my SovereignShepherdJesus does NEXT, in me, others, circumstances, seeing Jesus behind everyone and everything as the reigning CreatorSustainer of the Universe, so I’m way-more passive, and way-less the activist, way-less wise in my own eyes, way-less leaning on my own understanding, way-less feeling ALONE and in CHARGE, and way-less wowed by human achievement — mine or others. But it doesn’t last long. The message of this world is compelling, deceptive. Especially for the vulnerable, like DAVE.
Especially the sports worship among Christians and nonChristians in the USA today, has consumed my life, stroked me in the WRONG direction, exacerbated the worst in me, undermined the Lordship of Jesus in my life, and nurtured a fragile joy and peace that depends on circumstances. Terrible, horrible, no-good, very-bad way to live. Especially for a control-freak.
— Dave McCarty, GospelFriendships, sometimes baby steppin in a more-Jesus-like way, whenever the Spirit freshly convicts him of the sin of INdependence, wondering if the seculars around him are noticing
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