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The Good Life

By Andrew Ready

Sometimes we can have a very rosy view of the way life ‘should’ be. Christians particularly can fall into this trap. After all, if we have a personal relationship with the God of the entire universe, surely He should look after me. Right?

When our view of what our lives should be like is contrary to the will of God, this can be a huge point of offence. After all, we assume, a good God surely wants to love me and take care of me. Where the deception comes, however, is that too often we are only looking at what seems good to us in the immediate here and now, not what seems good to God. What we would like is a life free of worry, where the bills are easily paid, where we are always in good health, and our relationships run smoothly. What God wants is to refine us and bring us into the fullness of His life – here on earth, but also in the eternal sense.

There are many scriptures in the Bible where we are exhorted to ‘keep ourselves from idols’. Have you ever stopped to consider whether your Christian walk is a living relationship with God or an exercise in idol worship? Part of this warning is not just the obvious worship of physical statues or possessions, but also the culture of that worship which can easily creep into and destroy our faith.

A common theme in idol worship is the expectation that the correct ceremonies, prayers or actions will lead to blessing. The idol worshipper fears that ignoring the right behaviours will lead to problems. While it may be oversimplifying the issue, many practitioners of this worship are basically trying to take out a divine insurance policy. ‘I want my crops to grow’, figures the ancient farmer, ‘so I need to make the right sacrifices to keep the gods happy’.

In the Bible, Paul talks about idolatry in the same passage as he discusses the communion. (1 Cor 10) It is very easy for us to participate in Christian ‘religion’ such as going to church, taking communion, giving money or time, and yet completely miss the point. If these acts of sacrifice are only payment for a divine insurance policy then we are going to be disappointed. At times God’s will involves hardship as described in the famous passage in Psalm 23. The psalm describes the feeling of walking ‘through the valley of the shadow of death’. This is not exactly a pleasant walk in the park! God does not always take suffering away. However, when we trust our lives to Him and walk in fellowship with His people, then even though we walk through this valley we can say ‘I fear no evil for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me’. Interestingly, the rod and the staff, in the context of discipline, are also referred to in many other passages. God uses sufferings to form something eternal in us, as we learn to fellowship with Him in the midst of it.

The question of idols is more than whether or not there is a statue on your porch. It is to do with our desire to either live life according to our own will, or the will of God. God does not offer insurance, but a relationship. He is a loving Father, the One who planned each one of us as a unique individual before the world had even been created. He has an eternal plan and purpose for us.

Hebrews chapter 12 talks about the way a human father chastens his children for their own good. As a father I now look back on the discipline I received as a child and can see the ‘big picture’ my dad was looking at when he had to chasten me or guide me as I walked through a difficult circumstance. He did not necessarily take the difficult circumstance away, but wanted to see me grow through it. If our relationship with God is all about avoiding every difficulty, hardship, or element of suffering, then we are missing out on the opportunity to learn as sons of God and be formed according to His purpose. Rather we try to change God into an idol Who is bound by our acts of sacrifice or ceremony, in order to work His miracles to make our lives pleasant and happy according to our desires. The issue of idols is that we use our acts of service as leverage to make demands on God. We then get upset when ‘bad things happen to good people’. We reason that because we have made payment in some way, so He is obliged to honour us. In reality, we have tried to impose the bartering system of idol worship onto our relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Going back to our verses in 1 Corinthians, Paul is highlighting a significant difference between idolatrous ceremonies and the communion table. In these verses he highlights the fact that communion is to be a point of participation, not just a sacrament. The English word ‘communion’ is a translation of a Greek word that can also be translated as ‘fellowship’ or ‘sharing’. The Christian life is so much richer than sacrifice or service to appease a distant, uncaring, disconnected God. It is about walking with Him each day, knowing His life at work in our lives, and learning what it is to truly live the life of God, fellowshipping or participating with Him in His will and purpose. Rather than demanding God conform the world to our will and viewpoint, we can learn to have our eyes lifted up to see His eternal purpose. We can know the joy and peace that transcends circumstances as we learn to fellowship with Him and His people in all aspects of life.