Posted in Faith

I received this devotional today and it really struck me as one that needed to be read here, especailly with all I have been going through in the past three years.

Not a tame lion
by John Fischer

In a fundraiser this week for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer
Research, ESPN radio featured some audio clips from Jimmy Valvano’s decorated
basketball coaching and speaking career. In one of them, he revealed
that his personal secret to living a full life was to make sure to find
something every day that will make you laugh, cry, and think.

I immediately recognized these as goals I have had for these
devotionals without really being able to name them: to bring you something every
day that will make you laugh, something that might quite possibly move
you to tears now and then, and most of all, something to make you
think.

That last one is a bit of a newcomer for devotions. Devotions are not
known for rattling your cage. Usually they are more on the comforting
side of things. You go to a typical devotion for some assurance and
confirmation for what you already believe.

And there is much to give one comfort in believing. Probably the most
important things are forgiveness, God’s grace to us, his mercy, the
knowledge of his presence, and the Holy Spirit who is the Comforter.

But following God is not only about feeling good. There are also
challenges by Paul to grow and be ruthless with the sin in our lives, John’s
indictments in Revelation about mediocre faith, and James’
admonishments to have a faith backed up by good deeds. But of all the New Testament
voices, no one forces us to think differently than we normally would
think more than Jesus himself.

There are simply no warm fuzzies with Jesus, or as C.S. Lewis put it in
The Chronicles of Narnia, he is not a tame lion. He would heal people
and then tell them not to tell anyone who did it. He forgave a woman
caught in the act of adultery and then told her to go on and stop sinning.
He gave Peter his greatest compliment and followed it up with the
harshest putdown. And when his disciples enthusiastically stated their
willingness to follow him wherever he went, he challenged them with whether
or not they could drink the cup he was going to drink – meaning the cup
of suffering and death.

One of the greatest temptations in the ministry is to take the edge off
these difficult aspects of following Christ. We want to make it easy
for people to join our churches. We want to equate being a Christian with
the American dream. We want to get forgiven and keep on sinning. We
want to have it both ways, but Jesus was never compromising.

Jesus makes you think. So if you prefer spiritual truth and insight
that will not stretch you, upset you, or make you think, then consider the
source. Jesus Christ is not a tame lion.