Not about Me

I have been taking some history classes so that I can begin to go and get my licence to teach. I only need a few so I signed up for them over at Northern Kentucky University. Both of these history courses start with the beginning of time and go up until the 1700's.

With that in mind,
A couple of weeks ago I had really been struggling. Since the beginning of time, every civilization or group started with a focus on the idea that gods or a god must exist. As I thought and prayed about that I was really struggling because i thought about what truly makes Chrsitianity different from all of these other gods and religions. These people truly believed in their gods or their divine being just as I believe in Jesus. What makes Christianity different?

As I thought and prayed through this I thought that it was really cool. because it totally shows that there must be a god out there.
Why?
because we as humans are built with that desire for something greater the desire to be in contact with some sort of divine being. it is built into the way we are created, the way we think. there is no way that anyone can look at history and say that this is not true.

The next thing that i thought was that throughout time the belief in a god has always been selfish. It has always been a selfish desire - as to how god can help me. what do i need to do to make god or the gods happy so that they bless me. what do i need to do so that I have good crops? I need to not make them mad or I'm screwed! or the gods are selfish and do as they please. they party and we try not to get in the way? or we serve the gods for our own benefit... I could go on...

But...I realized that the heart of Christianity is far from selfish - in fact it is very much selfless - has nothing to do with us at all. (we have made chistianity to be all about us but in the true heart of where it started it does not)

A teacher asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was and Jesus responded in matthew 22:36-40
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Here Jesus says all of scripture (our faith) comes down to 1. loving God and 2. loving others. It has nothing to do with us and everything to do with loving God and loving others. It is very much selfless. As love God and love others we are truly worshiping God, obeying his commands, living the best life we could ever imagine (crazy that life is so much cooler when we focus on others and not ourselves).

I don't know if this makes sense... but I truly find it cool to imagine how much cooler and different our faith is then any other one out there. I also think it is kind of cool to see that it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with loving God and loving others.

What would happen if christians truly lived this way? if the world truly lived this way? how would life be different?

having fun as a passionate follower of Jesus,
scott sulek