.American Jesus.

I know two blog posts in one day! I can't help it. I need to write about this. Let me know share this quote with you from David Platt's book Radical.

" We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with. A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn't mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that He receives all of our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter wants us to avoid danger all together. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as live out our Christian spin on the American dream. But do you and I realize what we are doing? We are molding Jesus into our image."

If you skipped over that, please go back and read it. I am ashamed. I never imagined that that's what I was doing to Jesus. How dare I twist the Jesus of the Bible into something that He isn't? How was it that I sat through countless church services and Sunday school lessons and have never heard that we are molding Jesus into our image? We have things backwards here. We and our Americanized churches are screwed up. We say we believe one thing and we do not. Can I honestly say that I believe in the Jesus of the Bible? Not the Jesus in my mind, the Jesus in the Bible. And if I do believe in the Jesus of the Bible am I willing to believe whatever Jesus says? Am I committed to obeying whatever Jesus says?

Lord- I am ashamed. I come before you humbled and ashamed. I cannot put into words how I feel right now. I cannot believe all of this time I have been molding you into something that you are not. Why have I had this backwards? Show me the real You. Do not let me eyes be blind to the need around me. Please teach me to obey the You of the Bible. The Jesus who left everything and gave His entire life to service. Please open my eyes. Please do not let these words go in one ear and out the other. I desire change. I want something different for my life. You are the change that I need.