7/18/18 Drew - (video) 25
Who is the most popular Star Wars character?
Wikipedia says it is Darth Vadar, but I wonder if “The
Force” shouldn’t be high on the list. Be
it the light side or dark side, the idea of a universal power we can all access
when needed is a popular concept.
So does “The Force” represent God?
I asked Drew, 25, what he thought God is like. Does God have a personality we can relate to,
or is He more like a universal power such as Karma or “The Force” on Star Wars?
Drew enthusiastically chose The Force to best represent his
concept of God. And why not? All the power of the God of the Bible without
all the baggage – the accountability, the responsibility. The idea of an impersonal power available to
us is attractive in the same way as the magic of Harry Potter, a Genie in a
bottle, Santa Claus, and even modern-day science. Just follow the rules, recite an incantation
and the magic does your bidding.
All of these concepts have one thing in common – we don’t
serve them, they serve us (we think), and the “religious” aspect just involves
learning their particular rules so we can tap into their power at will.
They are modern day idols.
The same thing happens when we try to put God into a box, to
keep Him in a separate compartment of our lives to turn to when needed. We use man-made rules and special prayers or
behaviors to try to turn from the relationship God desires, to the religion
that we desire. We try to limit God to an
hour on Sunday morning, the four walls of a church building, 10 percent of our
income, the confines of a communion host, and a quick shake of the pastor’s
hand on our way out the door. We may say
Jesus is number one in our lives, but that would mean there are also other, separate
compartments, neatly confined so they don’t conflict.
No, following Jesus demands that he is Lord of every
category of life, of all of our week, of the totality of our income. He isn’t just a supernatural life
improvement, He is our life, He sits in the driver’s seat and demands access to
every room in the house. Jesus said “Anyone
who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who
loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and
follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever
finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will
find it.” (Matt.10)
He is so much more than “The Force”. He is the Way, the Truth, the source of Life
itself, and no one comes to a right relationship with the Father but through
Him.
PS - “Sit in” on my conversation with Drew HERE
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