George Orwell once said, “Sooner or later, a false belief bumps up against a solid reality.” This from a writer who, beginning his career as a Socialist / Communist, understood very well the tyranny of those who are convinced they alone are right and thus, by default, everyone else must be wrong. And since wrong, these same ones must be corrected, herded, and directed by those who know better than they what’s good for them. The last thing “they” need is a taste of Freedom and of Life.
This reminds me of so many men and women I’ve known through the years within our particular ‘movement’ of Faith who were utterly convinced their ‘way’ of doing things— be it their theology, their attitude toward others who differed some way spiritually, or their very approach to teaching or worshiping or serving or praying— was the only way. There could be no other. “God cannot work in ways other than those of which I have personally approved.” It may not be overtly stated in terms this bold, but something very similar is going on beneath the surface of the soul when arrogance and self-centred ambition are having their way with us. So, think about this mindset for just a moment ...then get a nice, long, hearty laugh out of it.
How grateful we all must be that after two thousand years of getting it wrong, Abba has sent us a new set of saviors so we can finally ‘get it right.’ It would be hilarious, if not for the unbelievable arrogance it exemplifies. I think a healthy prayer might be, “O Lord, whatever You do in all our lives to break down the barriers between us and You ...save us from ourselves. {And while You’re at it, save us from our self-appointed saviors… please.} Amen.”
Ric Webb, Shepherd
Heart's Journey Community
hjcommunity.org
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.