My frustration with small-minded, irrelevant people

I have a confession to make. I am deeply impatient with and frustrated by what I call "small-minded, irrelevant people". Let me explain...

They are small-minded because they have no real concept of the larger work of God. They are kings of their own kingdom, creating false realities that strengthen their deception. While they may be able to parrot the correct words that sound spiritual, they have no concept of the kingdom of God. They create their own god, a god that caters to their desires. They frequently insert themselves into places that are none of their business, attempting to be God in the lives of other people. They claim to speak for God without ever having any consciousness of God. They have preconceived notions of how things ought to happen. They pompously judge other people all the while ignoring their own ugliness.

They are irrelevant to the kingdom of God. Because they have no concept of the work of God, they cannot and will not participate with God in His redemptive work. While they put themselves forward as teachers and leaders in the church, their efforts are completely outside of the rule of God. As a result, they are irrelevant to expansion of the realm of God on the earth today. They speak of power but have none. They are more interested in protecting their religious system than they are in conforming to the will of God. They are more invested in making sure things get done their way than they are about the kingdom of God coming to earth. They impose their own will instead of allowing the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus was confronted by this same type of people in His day. He pointedly spoke to their hypocrisy. He was angered by their callous attitude toward people who need healing. In the end, they were irrelevant to what God was doing in that day.

Give up

I have noticed a lot of self-effort recently in my conversations with Christians. People try to love more, try to be a better person, try to forgive, try follow Jesus. The problem with trying is that the starting point for the self-effort attempts is still self. When our starting point for any kind of transformational work is self, we are doomed to failure. If we could transform ourselves into people who love without restraint, who freely forgive without limitation, who radically follow Jesus without reservation, we would have no need for a Saviour.

I have discovered that embracing my human-ness, and coming to grips with my own inability to to live in the manner expected by God allows me to experience the transformational power of God. Instead of attempting to cover my ugliness with a veneer of goodness, I throw myself on the mercy of God, realizing that apart from Him I have no chance of ever changing. Instead of focusing on changing my behaviors, I run into Him with all my destructive ways, allowing His words and work to transform me.

As I yield my ugliness and humanity to Him, I have discovered that He begins to transform my thought processes and behaviors. I no longer need to strive to change myself into what I think God wants. I allow Him to change me into what He wants.

Instead of trying harder to change, I encourage you to abandon yourself in all your ugliness to God. Let Him define you with His words, let Him transform you by His Spirit, embrace His strategy for your transformation. You cannot change yourself, you cannot rescue yourself. Instead, allow the supernatural work of Jesus to become real in you.