Here's the deal: don't think that you have an advantage over
everyone else because you have a unique ritual. While it's true that
you've been handed down the oral traditions of your ancestors - stories
of communication and relationship with this God - realize that you're
not the only ones who've experienced the Divine.
Your faith (as well as the faith of your ancestors) doesn't (and didn't) validate or nullify the faithfulness of God. In other words, God works independently of how much or how little faith you have. The reality is that every time we think we have God figured out, we're just lying to ourselves and the world around us. The more we think we know who and what God is or how God operates, the less inspiration we have to ask more questions and seek more truth. God becomes a concept to be understood rather than the Truth to be searched for.
I believe (as I've said before), that God doesn't operate by human standards. God doesn't judge the world the way we humans love to judge the world. God isn't Caesar. There's also this idea going around in some religious circles that doing wrong somehow leads to showing the world how right God is. Think about the logic in that. We don't live in a world where people are expectantly waiting for us to be little Jesus' with skin on. They're not waiting for us to remove the curtains. So get rid of the idea that you're so honed in to what and how God thinks, that you can rationalize your wrongdoing. I've even been accused of teaching that our wrongdoings lead to God's right doings, but whoever those rumor starters are will get what they're looking for - mainly the feeling of false power that comes from judging other people.
So, are we Jews better than anyone else? Hell no. We're all born into this thing we call the human condition. Our history shows us that none of us are completely good. None of us completely understand. None of us completely rely on God. We've all turned away in some form or fashion. We all go through points where we're useless to mankind. We go through points where we just can't seem to do anything good. We go through seasons where our tongues are used to destroy rather than build up and our words are like poison. We curse instead of bless and hate instead of love. We go through spells where we're ready to pounce on the first person who looks at us the wrong way. If you're like me, you go through times when you're a creator of ruin and misery. We go through times when we don't know how to live in peace. We go through times in which our wonder of this loving God is hijacked by an irrational fear of a wrathful and punishing God.
The law and all it's rules are only for those who've signed up for it. If you choose to be a Jew, you choose to live according to that law. And by choosing this route, you're stepping into a long-standing tradition of a balancing scale religion. It's not because it's bad being a follower of Judaism. It's because the message has been so distorted over the years that the law has become the gauge of God's love for humanity. Therefore, the whole of law followers are under this invisible hand that is going to eventually smash them to smitherines once judgment day comes. What was created to be a spotlight showing us what parts of us need to be worked on, has undoubtedly become this fictitious tool which will be God's primary way of punishing us for our misdoings. We've gotten so far away from what the law was created for.
But here's the awesome news. You ready? God doesn't work within human rules and regulations. We've been shown the way to wake up to the reality that we're already made right with this God! Even our ancestors pointed us to the way but we couldn't understand it because we were so consumed with power lust and getting over on the next person. Jesus put our peace with God on display. His life was a living theater, showing everyone around him that we all are right with God. This is true for all of us because we're all the same when it comes to the human condition. We've all messed up and are gonna keep messin' up. It's hard to get close to the invisible power of God when we're all wrapped in our delusions of glory. I believe that Jesus showed us that we've been made right with God already through God's grace. It was a free gift.
This was a breakthrough concept for everyone, even the pagans. No one before had even imagined that a relationship with God was possible outside of the mundane rituals and sacrifices needed to keep the gods happy. But Jesus brought this radical message to us that we were not only loved by God, but that we were no longer bound to this system of guilt vs. innocence. Jesus made it his mission to show us what already existed through this God - that we are free from the bogus world system of sacrifice and guilt!
He gave us a chance to finally start imagining the possibility that God is always right and fair and just. He opened our minds to a God who's in the business of taking our broken asses and making them whole and complete.
If you hear anyone bragging about how they've done all this great stuff in order to somehow provoke God to give them some special gift, there full of crap! The truth of the matter is - everything's been done for us when it comes to freedom. Do you believe your free? If we feel that we've done anything to "save ourselves" or "receive forgiveness" or "earn God's love" then it only means we're young in our faith. What faith does is start with ourselves and gradually move outwards. It eventually evolves into a reliance on God that removes all notions of self-sufficiency and self-pride. The evolved faith doesn't have the word "bragging" in its dictionary anymore.
A person awakens to the reality of his/her peace with God through faith and not obeying all the rules of religion. What faith does is remove religious boundaries. It sees the connection that glosses over races and religions and colors and creeds. It constantly works on removing the ideas that we've done something or need to do something to make God love us or accept our membership into the club. We're all in the club. God isn't just the God of the Jews, but all of us.
The person who you think is the worst person on the face of the planet has received the same gift you have via this same God. God is working on making us better every day, regardless of what tradition we come from. But here's the thing, God's not gonna force us to wake up to this reality. So, while God is making us right, we can either acknowledge it or not. We can wake up to it or stay asleep. We all get to make this decision.
And here's where it comes full circle. Faith allows us to take part in what the law was originally created for - to wake us up. Are you awake yet?
Your faith (as well as the faith of your ancestors) doesn't (and didn't) validate or nullify the faithfulness of God. In other words, God works independently of how much or how little faith you have. The reality is that every time we think we have God figured out, we're just lying to ourselves and the world around us. The more we think we know who and what God is or how God operates, the less inspiration we have to ask more questions and seek more truth. God becomes a concept to be understood rather than the Truth to be searched for.
I believe (as I've said before), that God doesn't operate by human standards. God doesn't judge the world the way we humans love to judge the world. God isn't Caesar. There's also this idea going around in some religious circles that doing wrong somehow leads to showing the world how right God is. Think about the logic in that. We don't live in a world where people are expectantly waiting for us to be little Jesus' with skin on. They're not waiting for us to remove the curtains. So get rid of the idea that you're so honed in to what and how God thinks, that you can rationalize your wrongdoing. I've even been accused of teaching that our wrongdoings lead to God's right doings, but whoever those rumor starters are will get what they're looking for - mainly the feeling of false power that comes from judging other people.
So, are we Jews better than anyone else? Hell no. We're all born into this thing we call the human condition. Our history shows us that none of us are completely good. None of us completely understand. None of us completely rely on God. We've all turned away in some form or fashion. We all go through points where we're useless to mankind. We go through points where we just can't seem to do anything good. We go through seasons where our tongues are used to destroy rather than build up and our words are like poison. We curse instead of bless and hate instead of love. We go through spells where we're ready to pounce on the first person who looks at us the wrong way. If you're like me, you go through times when you're a creator of ruin and misery. We go through times when we don't know how to live in peace. We go through times in which our wonder of this loving God is hijacked by an irrational fear of a wrathful and punishing God.
The law and all it's rules are only for those who've signed up for it. If you choose to be a Jew, you choose to live according to that law. And by choosing this route, you're stepping into a long-standing tradition of a balancing scale religion. It's not because it's bad being a follower of Judaism. It's because the message has been so distorted over the years that the law has become the gauge of God's love for humanity. Therefore, the whole of law followers are under this invisible hand that is going to eventually smash them to smitherines once judgment day comes. What was created to be a spotlight showing us what parts of us need to be worked on, has undoubtedly become this fictitious tool which will be God's primary way of punishing us for our misdoings. We've gotten so far away from what the law was created for.
But here's the awesome news. You ready? God doesn't work within human rules and regulations. We've been shown the way to wake up to the reality that we're already made right with this God! Even our ancestors pointed us to the way but we couldn't understand it because we were so consumed with power lust and getting over on the next person. Jesus put our peace with God on display. His life was a living theater, showing everyone around him that we all are right with God. This is true for all of us because we're all the same when it comes to the human condition. We've all messed up and are gonna keep messin' up. It's hard to get close to the invisible power of God when we're all wrapped in our delusions of glory. I believe that Jesus showed us that we've been made right with God already through God's grace. It was a free gift.
This was a breakthrough concept for everyone, even the pagans. No one before had even imagined that a relationship with God was possible outside of the mundane rituals and sacrifices needed to keep the gods happy. But Jesus brought this radical message to us that we were not only loved by God, but that we were no longer bound to this system of guilt vs. innocence. Jesus made it his mission to show us what already existed through this God - that we are free from the bogus world system of sacrifice and guilt!
He gave us a chance to finally start imagining the possibility that God is always right and fair and just. He opened our minds to a God who's in the business of taking our broken asses and making them whole and complete.
If you hear anyone bragging about how they've done all this great stuff in order to somehow provoke God to give them some special gift, there full of crap! The truth of the matter is - everything's been done for us when it comes to freedom. Do you believe your free? If we feel that we've done anything to "save ourselves" or "receive forgiveness" or "earn God's love" then it only means we're young in our faith. What faith does is start with ourselves and gradually move outwards. It eventually evolves into a reliance on God that removes all notions of self-sufficiency and self-pride. The evolved faith doesn't have the word "bragging" in its dictionary anymore.
A person awakens to the reality of his/her peace with God through faith and not obeying all the rules of religion. What faith does is remove religious boundaries. It sees the connection that glosses over races and religions and colors and creeds. It constantly works on removing the ideas that we've done something or need to do something to make God love us or accept our membership into the club. We're all in the club. God isn't just the God of the Jews, but all of us.
The person who you think is the worst person on the face of the planet has received the same gift you have via this same God. God is working on making us better every day, regardless of what tradition we come from. But here's the thing, God's not gonna force us to wake up to this reality. So, while God is making us right, we can either acknowledge it or not. We can wake up to it or stay asleep. We all get to make this decision.
And here's where it comes full circle. Faith allows us to take part in what the law was originally created for - to wake us up. Are you awake yet?
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