Civilized Faith

So a few years back I read the book The Barbarian Way.  It was a great book and it begins (awesomely) with a quote from the movie Rocky III.  Here it is.

But then the worst thing happened

that could happen to any fighter,

you got civilized.

-----Mick to Rocky

I reread that quote last week and it just keeps eating me up inside.  Many times I think we feel like we can only serve God within the context of what makes "sense".  We ask questions like,

 "How do I serve God while accomplishing my goals in life?"

"How can God use me while I get my degrees squared away?"

"How can I use all these fun toys I've got to glorify God?"

"What if I put aside a hour each week to just serve Jesus in some way?"

To be honest, I'm not sure these are bad questions.  But they do seem like civilized questions and ones that guys in the early church probably weren't asking.  Maybe a question from Jesus really sums all this up.  In Mark chapter 8 he ask,

For what shall it profit a man,

if he gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

-----Jesus to his disciples

In context to the scripture it would make more sense if our questions looked more like this.

"How do I deny myself?"

"What is the cross you want me take up Jesus and how do I carry it?"

"Jesus, where are you going and what moves your heart?"

It seems to me these are the questions we should ask first.  Sadly, we have become civilized and many times find ourselves asking these questions within the confines of our autobiography.  We write the story and then find room for God.  

 

I hope we can flip the paradigm.  (We've done it before)  

When we were kids people all ways asked us what we were going to be when we grew up.  It made us feel like we had to build this life that accomplished these goals.  But what if it was never about what we are going to be, but about who we are going to follow.

There is only one worthy.  His name is Jesus.