Bottoms Up

This blog post is an accumulation of a number of things that the Lord has been placing on my heart.  I am doing a wonderful women's ministry study on Philippians by Matt Chandler this semester.  Last week he challenged me with what makes me yearn for Christ and what prevents me from pursing him.  He asked us what makes us feel that intimacy with Christ and what gets in the way.  That has made me rethink and reprioritize what my day looks like to attempt to have an interaction with the Lord first thing in my day.  

This thought corresponds with another pull on my heart lately related to pop culture.  It is in relation to the number one book and movie in America right now.  You may have guessed it, and no, I have no plans of having Mr Grey see me now or anytime ever.  In fact the entire phenomenon of these books and new movie have promoted multiple soapbox rants to my husband about how much I dislike everything about it.  I am not going to get into my thoughts about 50 Shades other than Philippians 4:8.  You are welcome to read any of the countless blogs that discuss the series. 

What bothers me is not my soap box against 50 Shades, because I do see the topic as black and white and stand by that.  What bothers me about this is my top down approach that I can have on life.  My undergrad is in psychology, and I will always remember Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs.  Perhaps you remember the diagram.  

  

You have to have the bottom tier covered before you can move up.  If you do not have food and water, you will die.  Whether or not you feel a sense of belonging is meaningless if you are malnourished and dead.  This does not discount the importance of belonging.  It just isn't as necessary as physiological.    

This is how I believe that we should view our Christian walks.  I could complain about 50 Shades, a disregard for unborn life, the holes in the theory of evolution, or a plethora of other topics with a willing ear until my face turns blue.  I can do this whether I am filled with the Lord or distant.  I think that these "Issues" could be grouped with works and theology.  All of which are very important, but are meaningless unless we start with that base tear of Jesus Christ. 

If I am not pursuing the Lord and loving his people, it does not matter whether or not I believe in a pre or post tribulation rapture or whether I hate 50 Shades of Terrible Literature.  I need to...

1) Ask myself whether or not I am actively pursuing Jesus and resting in the good news of his gospel

2) Loving his people

3) Being obedient in FOLLOWING and OBEYING the word and shaping my life around the truth that it contains  

When we debate issues and do not love the person that we are talking with with a Christ like love, it shows.  Joelle Merrifield is a global partner of our church, Harvest Bible Chapel, and she shared tonight about how her and her family share the gospel with individuals of the Muslim faith.  It was not through hitting them on the head with the issues, it was through loving the Lord, loving them, and developing relationships.  After those two tiers were established, God opened up opportunities for dialogue.   

My words and actions are meaningless unless I am loving people, and my capacity to love people is deficient unless I am loving the Lord.  Everything needs to start with Jesus.