Jesus Christ Loves Hitler

I was talking with some friends the other night about 'the fairness of God.' The question someone asked was 'You see it all throughout the Old Testament - someone making God angry, and He strikes them down. Then, you see people like terrorists, rapists, child molesters, and they walk around without justice brought to them. Why is that?' That's not a quote, but the general idea is the same.

Perry Noble said once about the same subject, "Don't even talk to God about 'fair.' 'Fair' is you being struck down and sent to hell for the FIRST sin you ever commit. 'Fair' is punishment for EVERY wrong thing you've EVER done. Don't even talk to God about fair." Okay. So... that wasn't exactly a quote, either, but run with me on this.

So, I was thinking a lot about this - 'Why is that?'

The answer was simple - 'Because he loves us, and has mercy.'

Ever really think about the word 'mercy?' It's defined in the dictionary as...

Mercy - a disposition to be kind and forgiving.

Kind and forgiving. To even the worst of the worst? Of course, the bible tells us...

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. ---James 2:10

So, sin is seen equally by God, but we're left with the question 'Why?' The answer came to me pretty subtly, but oh so powerfully. It's his love behind his mercy that makes it so incredible.

Take Adolf Hitler for example - one of the most hated, most abhorred, biggest villains of the history of the world. He was directly responsible for the murder of millions of people (God's chosen people, by biblical standards) and was directly responsible for the brainwashing of millions of well-meaning German people (many of the Christians). Why on earth wouldn't God have stricken him down right there?

Because of his mercy and love. Yes, even for someone like Adolf Hitler.

Think of it in this perspective. It's not that God didn't care the Hitler did all those horrible things - it's that God loved Hitler so much, he was willing to give him an entire lifetime to repent from his sin and truly follow Jesus. Did God approve of the things Hitler did - Does God approve of what the nasty people of the world do now? Of course not. But he loves us nonetheless.

God's mercy is not just saving sinners once we put our faith in him - it's giving sinners an entire lifetime as an opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life promised to us in Jesus Christ. Now THAT'S mercy! I know if I was all-powerful, I'd be too selfish to give some people (like Hitler) the chance to accept my offer of salvation - I know I'd be too selfish to send my own son to die for someone like Adolf Hitler. But, thankfully, our God is not selfish. He is loving, merciful, and sovereign.

So, remember that when you think 'That's not fair, God!' Because, really, when we say that, we're saying 'God, don't let your sacrifice cover some people.'

Thanks for reading!

-Matt

A Squishy Heart

"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." - Excerpt from Psalm 95:7-8

How hard is your heart? I know, for me, my heart is pretty rough. Maybe not solid rock, but it's pretty thick. I mean, I feel more sympathy than some people, but when it comes to God, I feel like I have a thick, rocky heart. Like, it's made of stone. Maybe not granite or some hard, unscratchable stone, but definitely some sort of limestone or a soft stone.

You're asking 'What? Matt, is this a geology lesson?' Yes. Start taking notes.

No, I'm kidding. I'm talking about our hearts. 'Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.' So, again, I'll ask: How hard is your heart?

When I think about my heart, I think about how soft it is for others, but how hard I make it for God. Why do I do that? Kind of silly, isn't it?

I'm about to hurt some Theologians and John Piper-lovers feelings when I say this, but God is NOT going to just attack you with his 'irresistible grace' and soften your heart. He is not going to just yank you out of your sin... unless you LET HIM. We've got to trust Jesus, we've got to rely on Jesus, and we've got to ALLOW Jesus to help us.

I'm not saying that Jesus kind of is 'there' and you're on your own - goodness, no. He WILL help you. He will be with you. He will soften your heart... if you allow him.

But, okay, Driscollites and Pied Pipers; I'm finished. :P

Anyway, okay, how do we get 'a squishy heart?'

I think he pray. We ask God to help us, but we really do have to allow him. I struggle with giving God control - I know how easy it would be to live after that, but a part of me is like 'Do I really have to give you everything God? I mean, can't I keep a little bit of Matt in there? I'm a pretty nice guy - what about just a pinch of Matt?'

My problem is... I keep my heart hard and stony from God, because I know how radical and crazy he can make it. The heart is the central point of our soul and our lives.

To find God, you must look with all your heart. To remain present to God, you must remain present to your heart. To hear his voice, you must listen with all your heart. To love him, you must love with all your heart. You cannot be the person God meant you to be, and you cannot live the life he meant you to live, unless you live from the heart."

"[The Enemy's] plan from the beginning was to assault the heart... Make them so busy, they ignore the heart. Wound them so deeply, they don't want a heart. Twist their theology, so they despise the heart. Take away their courage. Destroy their creativity. Make intimacy with God impossible for them." - John Eldredge, 'Waking the Dead.'

I pray that we all receive a squishy heart from God today. ;)

-Matt

'Scraped over too much Bread...'

"I feel...thin. Sort of stretched, like...butter scraped over too much bread."

...said Bilbo Baggins the day of his 111st birthday. In the JRR Tolkien's classic, he's sitting with Gandalf, the wise old wizard, in his cozy hobbit hole the morning of his birthday. Just outside his door, people are preparing a big event for the hobbit... but Bilbo feels empty. He has everything he could ever want - just a few years prior he went on a grand adventure and claimed an enormous amount of gold from an evil dragon. His home was filled to the rim of gold, jewels, and treasure. But here he is, sitting here pouring Gandalf a cup of tea as the sun comes shining in on an otherwise perfect day.

I feel like Bilbo these days.

I am extremely blessed to have all I have. I am serving in a fantastic church that 'gets it.' I am doing what I love with video in many different places, including that very same church. I have committed to writing and recording a Christian podcast that can, no doubt, change many perspectives or lives. I am chasing my dreams, I have all I need, and I'm surrounded by awesome people. But still - this emptiness. I am Bilbo Baggins.

Inside Bag End, Bilbo and Gandalf were sitting at the open window of a small room looking out west on to the garden. The late afternoon was bright and peaceful. The flowers glowed red and golden; snap-dragons and sunflowers. "How bright your garden looks!" said Gandalf. "Yes," said Bilbo, "I am very fond indeed of it, and of all the dear old Shire; but I think I need a holiday." -The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, JRR TOLKEIN

Here Bilbo sits with every beautiful thing in the world he could want or imagine. Awesome and beautiful things right outside his window. He's surrounded by things that, by normal account, would make him happy. Yet, he still is unhappy. I am Bilbo Baggins.

"I'm old, Gandalf," Bilbo says to Gandalf after confessing his uneasiness. "I know I don't lookit, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart." He sits down, trying to find comfort. He then says, "I feel thin... like butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday." I am Bilbo Baggins.

What is bringing about this discontent in my heart? Am I growing weary of the good things I'm surrounded by? I don't believe so. If that were the case for our dear hobbit Bilbo, he would have just given his possessions to his relatives, and see if that would have helped. What is it then?

We find a clue in what Bilbo says to Gandalf during their tea conversation.

"I want to see mountains again - MOUNTAINS, Gandalf!" Mountains. The world. Adventure. The wilderness. Not the safety of Eden, but the danger and wild of the untrodden world beyond.

"I am not alive in an office. I am not alive in a taxi cab. I am not alive on a sidewalk." -Wild at Heart, JOHN ELDREDGE

I need adventure. Maybe not a backpacking adventure, or a canoeing expedition, but a spiritual adventure. One where there's a mountain to climb, and one where I figure out what God is trying to tell me. I am positive he is trying to communicate something to me. What, though? How am I supposed to figure it out with everything pressing me from all sides? When will I get a chance?

"We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again. So we're not giving up. How could we!? Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace." -2 Corinthians 4:8-9 CEV, 4:16 'The Message.'

God is always with me - with us - even when we are stressed out, even when we suffer, and even when we feel like poor Bilbo did - old. Weak. Stretched. Weary. Worn. Broken. He's there, and he never lets go. Does it end by itself, though? Hardly ever. I believe God is constantly calling us to climb higher up the mountain. Sometimes, though, he leads us to comfortable resting places that we like to hang out at for a while. He's waiting on the path waving his arms saying 'Follow me! We've still got this mountain to climb - this adventure to continue - but I feel like I'm saying 'I'm fine right here.'

But I obviously am not 'fine right here.' My prayer to God tonight is the same as Bilbo's plea to Gandalf was. "I want to see mountains again, MOUNTAINS, Jesus!' I want to continue this adventure, but I've become so content here. How do I move along?

By taking his hand. Embracing him. Following him, and letting him lead.

"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." -Psalm 25:4-5, NLT

I'm ready. Are you?
Thanks for reading.

-Matt

"I thought up an ending for my book. 'And he lived happily ever after. Even to the end of his days."

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with eager feet,

Until it joins some larger way

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

Worlds Apart

"I am the only one to blame for this.
Somehow it all adds up the same.
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride,
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
with a world I try so hard to leave behind.
To rid myself of all but love;
To give and die..."

I feel like sometimes, I'm so close to God. I feel alive, and I feel vibrant, and I feel like I can conquer the world, and that Jesus Christ can radically change the world through me. Then, other times, I feel like I'm worlds apart from him. I feel dead. Motionless. Defenseless. Not able to life a finger to command the sin in my life. I'm redeemed; I'm saved. But it's still there; ready to strike like a lion; a thief ready to steal my happiness, kill my love, and destroy my life. (John 10:10a)

It's my fault, though. I am the only one to blame for this. Somehow it all adds up the same.

The selfish pride I fly upon says 'I love Jesus, but I try and save myself with my behavior.' But, like Icarus, I collide with the fire, my wings melt, and I begin the long fall back to earth - the world I tried so hard to leave behind.

How can I rid myself of all but love, and give and die?

"To turn away and not become
another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tears
of a world embracing every heartache..."

Today, at church, Pastor Jerry was talking about The Enemy of ours. What I want to know is why he continues to pursue me after he knows he's lost me? Jerry brought up a passage that I actually read in John Eldredge's 'Waking the Dead,' which is an absolutely amazing book. I remember reading this, too. He says that the enemy fears what I am capable of, so, of course, he's going to do everything in his power to stop me from doing what I can actually do.

I think of it as a secret soldier, sneaking into the King's camp, taking the armor of his knights, and weakening them; taking their swords and dulling them to the point of being ineffective. I feel, sometimes, like that's what the Enemy is trying to do to me.

"All said and done I stand alone
amongst remains of a life I should not own.
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me..."

Why does it take so much for me to believe that God has not only saved me, but is willing to fight for me? This is such an outrageous concept to me; the Death of Jesus - the son of God. I mean, think about it. The death of His one and only son was less painful than the thought of spending eternity apart from me - from you. This is mind blowing and heart melting. Jesus saved me, but the infinite creator of the universe, the King of everything, the Lord of heaven, and the GOD of EXISTENCE loves me enough to practically KILL his own son... just so he could embrace me.

Me, the one who allows all this horrible scum in and out of my life, like I've given it a portion of my heart. Why wouldn't I fully give all that I am to the one who loves me like that?

"Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are,
because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart..."

I think my problem up to this point is I think I've been looking at this battle, this struggle, as a war I'm fighting for God, rather than a war he is fighting for me. I'm going to be really honest; I cannot defeat Satan. He is strong. He is powerful, and he is evil. I cannot defeat him. But God CAN, so I need to allow him to fight for me because, well, you cannot defeat God.

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost.
And wipe away the crimson stains,
And dull the nails that still remain.
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour.
The battle between grace and pride;
I gave up not so long ago.

So steal my heart, and take the pain.
And wash the feet, and cleanse my pride.
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide.
Take the beauty, take my tears
The sin-soaked heart and make it yours.
Take my world all apart.
Take it now, take it now.

And serve the ones that I despise.
Speak the words I can't deny.
Watch the world I used to love,
Fall to dust and thrown away.

Take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
Take my world apart...

Apart from him, I, we, can do nothing.

"This is the last time I'm starting over with you."

So, is it? Is this the last time I'm starting over? Is this the last time you're starting over? I hope so. I pray that you and I, whoever you are, reader, see the big picture, and see that God is willing to fight for us the battle we cannot possibly win. I love this about the God we serve. His love is infinite.

"Oh, he loves us. Oh, how he loves us. Oh, how he loves us. Oh, how he loves."

'I pray that you ... may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long
and high and deep is the love of Christ.' (Ephesians 3:17-19) That excites me to no end! I'm ready to rely on the Holy Spirit, I'm ready to really allow God into my life, and I'm ready to to live again.

Thanks for reading,
-Matt

- - - - -

'Worlds Apart' by Jars of Clay
'Valley of Tomorrow' by NeedtoBreathe

'How He Loves' by David Crowder

Jerry Davison's blog and John Eldredge's blog located off to the side.