Today I was in a popular bookstore chain looking for a title that I am doing a study and book discussion soon with. I had forgotten to write down the name of the author so I was having to take the time to go through every title in the Christian section. I was bothered by the many titles, who offered a clear cut and defined prepackaged faith. All the work has been done for you all you need to do is read this book and you could live a supernatural, victorious, wealthy, no problem life and with all of what you "should believe defined and spelled out for you....just add water or was that included as well?
I do not mean to sound so negative but where are the questions, the honesty, the challenge of real faith and life in this. I mean if most of these titles where true then why is the church in such a shape? Why haven't we changed the world? Why is there so much suffering and poverty?
I use to buy into this prepackaged version of Christianity myself but it failed to meet the challenges of my "real life" and it was then I had to discover a real faith. This real faith involves a real doubt reaching out to a real God who extends real love back and reveals to me not only the truth of who God is and God's love but also shows me the errors of my faulty faith. God also teaches me that questions are good because they cause one to search and look beyond their own or other's experiences and enabled me to unpack and throw out much of what had been my prepackaged beliefs.
Faith is a journey and you never arrive, but there is always more to learn, discover and grow into. It is exciting. This adventure is yours to live, don't look for it in somebody Else's story or book. Find it in God and in yourself.....
I am not against books, actually I love them, and have plenty of them. If books were money I would be a wealthy man. However faith is something we live, not just read about.
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