Upside Down
It is interesting to me how backward, upside down and topsy turvy the Christian faith is. Think about it.
Jesus won by losing. He taught that to be great, be a servant; to be first, go last; and to be promoted, humble oneself.
It gets even more radical when Jesus says to bless those who curse, to turn the other cheek and to forgive instead of seeking revenge. It is counter-intuitive to do good to and to pray for those who hate and use you and yet it is the way to live upside down.
In school, we do the work and then get a passing grade, but in spiritual terms, we get the passing grade and then we study and learn and grow. For the believer, the war is already won, but we do battle every day. We have already won the race, but every day we run full speed ahead, throwing off every obstacle. We learn to go to the end of the line and to give our lives, resources and money away. We don’t have to work to win God’s favor; rather we serve because we enjoy God’s grace.
Impossible outside of the Kingdom! And, in truth, the world is actually upside down; Jesus came to right the wrong and to teach us to put a premium on the things that are important and discount that which does not matter. As a Christ follower we are to be about learning the value of things like a home, friendship, communication, relationships over the price of a house, a meal, a phone, time.
In the spiritual ballpark, we are to play by a different set of rules set by our coach. And all this is based on the fact that our faith is based on a God who loves. No other religion operates from a starting place of grace and acceptance. Christianity alone does not need to appease the wrath of the gods. We choose to live in a manner that pleases the one who loves us unconditionally, who seeks us wholeheartedly and gives us freedom and his righteousness according to His mercy.