Playing the Field

I read: James 1-5

One of the things that has been on my mind a lot lately is the idea that Christianity is more about relationship than religion. Sure, that's fine to say and know, but being able to believe it and understand what all that entails is a very difficult thing to do. I also think that it is a big matter in God's mind as, the more I look for mentions of it, the more I'm finding. I'm really intrigued to start reading some other books in the Bible that deal with it more specifically. But, for today, I found just a bit more tucked away in the 4th chapter of James and that's what I want to contemplate at this time.

"You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the wolrd every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that 'he's a fiercely jealous lover.' And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find . . . Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quite playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet."

In the book of Hosea we meet the prophet of the same name. His book is one of the more interesting of the prophets: God commanded him to marry a prostitute. Not only to marry her, but to have children with her. From what I know, his wife wasn't very true to him either. At all. But that's what makes the story even more remarkable: Hosea:Prostitute::God:us. As James puts it so aptly, through Eugene Peterson, we cheat on God. We play the field, keep our options open. Which might not seem like a bad idea, except that we can know from the Bible, from our teachers and elders in the faith, and from our own experience that God's way is always the best way. But so often we're the dirty, skanky lover, reappearing with the morning mumbling and sputtering that we're sorry, so sorry and that it'll never happen again. Then 24 hours later we're doing it again.

God's love is a true love, a changing love and the scariest and best thing we can do is to open ourselves to that love and let God begin to change us. How does he change us? Not by manipulation or altering our genes, but just by loving us and showing us the best way possible.