Faith & Life (Part 2)

In last month's article I suggested that one of the major concerns that Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day was that their worship (spirituality or faith) had become disconnected & detached from real life. Worship in their case had become 'empty' despite the fact that they were still meticulously continuing on with their religious traditions & ordinances. I would suspect that Jesus would have similar concerns were he to walk into the average place of worship today. So where is the breakdown? Some people would say it lies with 'religion' itself! Their answer is simple, "Remove all religion"! That would be like saying: "Since some people use knives to kill people, we want our government to pass a law prohibiting the use of all knives"! I wonder if we need to stop blaming 'religion' in general and take a good, hard look within ourselves. Is it possible that the real, core problem that we see humanity struggling with involves the issue of 'power'? It's both appalling & sad to see how 'power' is used to 'exploit' and 'take advantage' of others. But despite all our education & the rhetoric about LOVE - that virtue that Jesus talked so much about while on earth - prejudice, discrimination, oppression, bullying, still prevails. Why? In my opinion, we have neglected to realize that until we have learned the attitudes & behaviours associated with 'acting justly', love will forever escape us! For example, as long as we continue to come across as arrogant, egotistical, harsh, rigid, inflexible, or a 'know-it-all', people won't want to be around us! Similarly, whenever a person treats others in a fair, equitable, respectful & honourable manner, we are deeply touched by their actions. The prophet Micah hit the nail right on the head when he penned these words: "He (God) has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." In one statement, Jesus was able to sum up all that I have been trying to say: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." In other words, treat people in the manner you would want to be treated! To do that, we must be willing to 'let go' of attitudes & behaviours which are counterproductive! Let go of acting and/or speaking to one another in a disrespectful manner. Stop thinking of yourself more highly than you ought! Stop playing 'God' in everyone's life and begin looking inwardly at your own heart! Strive to be trustworthy in all areas of life - stop the lying, cheating and stealing! Yes, I would agree totally with Cicero, the Roman philosopher: "Justice is the crowning glory of the virtues"? John Locke: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding said, "I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts." As a husband and a father I think I understand what Locke is saying! It's a life-time of learning & practice to ensure that our words and our actions convey the same message! For example, I can tell my wife and my children how much I love them but, ultimately, it will be my actions that will determine whether they believe me or not. It's my experience that the closer I come to experiencing God's presence in my life, the closer I get to living the life He longs for me to experience. How easy it is to be 'political correct' in saying all the right things, but in the final analysis, be repeating the identical error that the religious leaders of Jesus' day were making. Wouldn't it be devastating to have God post in bold letters these words on the outside of our churches: "So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them." Unfortunately when our worship becomes more focused on doing the 'external, outer things' rather than reflecting what's in our heart, it becomes 'empty' and in the process, loses its beauty & glory! Faith & life must always embrace each other! In the words spoken by George Washington Carver: "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you command the attention of the world!" Having a faith in God which teaches & empowers one to be both accountable & responsible to live a life that treats others the way that we, ourselves, like to be treated adds quality to life! Doing the common things in life in an uncommon way (ie., doing what Jesus would do in a similar situation) causes the world to sit up & take notice!

Continued in Part 3