“Sometimes our strivings to ‘be like God’ can become self-made super-works that we subconsciously employ to pay off our sins. The trap is that there’s just as much sin in the spiritual stuff as the earthly stuff — just ask anyone who’s ever worked . . . in the church. Often this leads to greater disillusionment because we think that a church, Christian community, or Christian institution is supposed to be different.”- Rev. Jeffrey Leininger
Rev. Jeffrey Leininger concludes Chapter 4 of Callings for Life as he relates what Martin Luther taught Christians about how to discover their callings in the God-pleasing activities of God’s redeemed world. As a result, Rev. Leininger emphasizes, callings should be understood as this-worldly rather than other worldly. Precisely because this world needs God.
However, when faced with the hard work of real life, we find it easier to escape from the world. In addition, we can even fool ourselves into thinking such escape equates with a higher, more spiritual endeavor. And we find ourselves especially disappointed when we discover that spiritual escapism fails to lead to less sin. In fact, we often find just as much sin in the supernatural as in the mundane.
In conclusion, Rev. Leininger describes living the grounded life:
“God calls us back town to earth to live a grounded life. Along with some challenges, great blessings come from heeding this call. Most of all, our callings . . . are right at hand. There is little need to seek, search, or strive to uncover these vocations. . . . Indeed, it is precisely because these callings are present daily before us that we can become easily dismissive of them and seek to supplant them with the super-spiritual. We know them too well and grow weary at our failure of them. The solution, however, is not to escape from them. Rather, it is to return to Christ . . .”
Today’s question: What Bible verses help us with our strivings to be like God? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “With little choice on our part”
