I have spent quite a bit of time reading and studying the book of Colossians lately. I picked up a copy of Colossians Remixed by Brian Walsh ans Sylvia C Keesmaat to supplement my reading. This quote really jumped out at me:
What god do you want? And on whose terms will you accept this god? You see the danger of wanting god, without being willing to allow this god to speak in a voice that is radically other to our own voice, is that the god we end up with is like any other consumer product we take off the shelf. p34
I have been noodling that one around for a while. For me, I think I have definitely been guilty of accepting only the parts of God that suit me at a particular time. I'm guilty of "shopping God" to me my needs. If any of you are still checking back here, what do you think?
5 comments:
I agree completely. Again and again we make God over into our own image. I could say a lot on the topic, but will leave it at this :)
As I follow with bloglines, so I always see when something new pops up. So good to hear that your time away has been fruitful. How about a review of Colossians Remixed?
Maybe its OK to only accept the parts of God that suit your needs... as long as "what you need" continues to evolve. My guess is that the more parts of God you accept... the more the "generic brands" just don't taste as good anymore.
Hey Erin,
It takes me a while to get through books, especially since I usually have 2-3 going at any given time. You probably won't see a full scale review but I will try to comment on it as I progess through it because it definitely provides mcuh to think about.
Thank goodness for bloglines.
tk
Hey Ed,
Welcome to the wonderful world of blogging. Thanks for your comment. I agree with you, I think that's a pretty normal growth pattern. I think where it becomes problematic is when, after awhile, we exchange parts of God for cheaper imitations.
tk
TK, I agree. I think it's part of the normal "growth" pattern to let God in little by little. I think it becomes problematic when we refuse to be obedient or "withold" ourselves in the areas where it can be hard to obey (e.g., giving).
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