Cross Angle

This is from Phil Cooke’s blog at www.philcooke.com.

It’s interesting that the debate about what we call the “Prosperity Gospel” continues. I’m not surprised because anything that sounds like hope is a tough thing to walk away from – whether it’s true or not. I have some mixed feelings because I understand that preachers of the post-World War II era rightly wanted people to understand that God is a good God. It’s hard today for us to understand the vibe from that era. Back then, most people believed more in a “God with a stick” than any real sense of grace. Writer Philip Yancey has written very eloquently about the toxic church he grew up in and the harsh view of God they taught. Many churches of the time were very dead places.
But today, on the other extreme, it’s really gotten out of control. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.” C.S. Lewis rightly understood that what seems to us good may not actually be good in God’s eyes, and what seems to us evil may not actually be evil. Therefore pain, suffering and disappointment may not be as bad or harmful as we assume. Likewise, prosperity, success, and accomplishment may not always be as good for us as we wish. Lewis always reminded us that we need to let God be God. Our thoughts are not His, and his judgments will often be dramatically different from ours. He admitted that we really know infuriatingly little about God and the way he works in the world.

Does God want what’s best for us? Of course. Will “what’s best” always line up with our expectations? Not hardly. I read a statistic recently about lottery winners. It said that within a few years, a significant number of big winners are right back where they started. In some cases, vast sums of money actually ruined their lives. I know many people who were much better off – and happier – when they were far less prosperous than they are now.

Let God be God. Encourage people, but seek a balance. Believe for His best for your life, but be careful assuming that God should live up to your expectations.

I was given a bunch of books this week. In putting them on the shelf today I came across an older book by Thomas ‘a Kempis. This chapter is called Of the Inward Life. The language is a bit antiquated but I think it will be benefical.

“The kingdom of God is within you,” saith the Lord. Turn thee with thy whole heart unto the Lord, and forsake this wretched world, and thy soul shall find rest. Learn to despise outward things, and to give theyself to things inward, and thou shalt perceive the kingdom of God to be come in thee. “For the kingdom of God is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost,” which is not given to the unholy. Christ will come unto thee, and show thee His own consolation, if thou prepare for Him a worthy mansion with thee. All His glory and beauty is from within, and there He delighteth Himself. The inward man he often visiteth; and hath with him sweet discourses, pleasant solace, much peace, familiarity exceeding wonderful. O faithful soul, make ready thy heart for this Bridegroom, that He may vouchsafe to come unto thee, and to dwell within thee. For thus saith He, “If any man love me, he will keep my words, and we will come unto him, and will make our abode with him.” Give therefore admittance unto Christ, and deny entrance to others. When thou hast Christ, thou art rich, and hast enough. He will be thy faithful and provident helper in all things, so that thou shalt not need to trust in men. For men soon change, and quickly fail; but Christ remaineth for ever, and standeth by us firmly unto the end. There is no great trust to be put in a frail and mortal man, even though he be profitable and dear unto us: neither ought we to be much grieved, if sometimes he cross and contradict us. They that to-day take thy part, tomorrow may be against thee; and often do men turn like the wind. Put all thy trust in God, let Him be thy fear and thy love”He shall answer for thee, and will do all things well, and as is best for thee. Thou hast not here an abiding city; and wheresoever thou mayest be, thou art a stranger and pilgrim: neither shalt thou ever have rest, unless thou be inwardly united unto Christ. Why dost thou here gaze about, since this is not the place of thy rest? In heaven ought to be thy home, and all earthly things are to be looked upon as it were by the way. All things pass away, and thou together with them. Beware thou cleave not unto them, lest thou be caught, and so perish. Let thy thoughts be on the Highest, and thy prayers for mercy directed unto Christ without ceasing. If thou canst not contemplate high and heavenly things, rest thyself in the passion of Christ, and dwell willingly on His sacred wounds. …. He that knoweth how to live inwardly, and to make small reckoning of things without, neither requireth  places, nor awaiteth times for performing of religious exercises. A spiritual man quickly recollecteth himself, because he never poureth out himself wholly to outward things. He is not hindered by outward labor or business, which may be necessary for the time” but as things fall out, so he suits himself to them. He that is well ordered and disposed within himself, careth not for the strange and perverse behaviour of men. A man is hindered and distracted in proportion as he draweth outward things unto himself. If it were well with thee, and thou wert thoroughly purified from sin, all things would fall out to thee for good, and to thy progress. But many things displease and often trouble thee, because thou art not yet perfectly dead unto thyself, nor separated from all earthly things. Nothing so defiled and entangeth the heart of man, as the impure love of things created. If thou refuse outward comfort, thou wilt be able to contemplate the things of Heaven, and often to receive internal joy.