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Beth

Of Steve, and Faith, and Dead Batteries

I sit down to write this post on my mac computer with my i-pod charging nearby.

Steve Jobs was undeniably one of the most influential men of our time. His death and the subsequent release of his biography has put him much in the national conversation lately. He was also merely mortal. A couple of days ago I read with interest his view of Christianity. Steve correctly identified the one thing that sets Christianity apart from every other religion, faith.  Then he rejected it.

He said, "The juice goes out of Christianity when it becomes too based on faith rather than living like Jesus or seeing the world as Jesus saw it ... I think different religions are different doors to the same house. Sometimes I think the house exists, and sometimes I don't. It's the great mystery." (http://www.businessinsider.com/best-steve-jobs-quotes-from-biography-2011-10?op=1#ixzz1c0EZhB3g)


Steve Jobs wanted Christianity to be just like every other religion, teaching people to do the right things, and have the right world view. He was put off by the fact that Christians don't try to work harder, do better, improve themselves. Faith seemed to him to be an abdication of responsibility. 

While Christians do want to live like Jesus and see the world as Jesus saw it, we know this is impossible without first being transformed by faith in Christ, righteousness from relationship. The apostle Paul said, "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord...not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ." Philippians 3:8-9 ESV


Trying to "live like Jesus and see the world as Jesus saw it" without faith, would be like trying to dance to music on my i-pod when its battery is dead. 

Autumn Color

This time of year the leaves of the aspen trees that dominate the Colorado high country near my home change to brilliant gold.
The color lies hidden within the leaf all summer. When shorter days and cooler temperatures cause photosynthesis to cease, the green fades and the underlying color shines through brilliantly.

It is the same in my soul. When the days in my inner world grow shorter, and the green begins to fade, shifting from summer’s bloom to fall’s dying, I am always disappointed. I react as if something unexpected is happening. These difficult seasons are necessary though. They strip away pretense so that the core of my being, the beautiful redeemed part can shine through.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24


 As winter approaches each year, I like to watch our large maple in the backyard begin to lose its covering of summer green and take on a funereal brown. As the leaves drop, one by one all of the irregularities and defects of the tree are exposed. The imperfections are always there, of course, but they have been hidden from my view by an emerald blanket. Now, however, it is denuded and desolate, and I can see its real condition. Winter preserves and strengthens a tree. Rather than expending its strength on the exterior surface, its sap is forced deeper and deeper into its interior depth. In winter a tougher, more resilient life is firmly established. Winter is necessary for the tree to survive and flourish.  -- Richard Foster, Prayer