A Trust Fall

Psalm 146 (click link to read passage before reading Devotion below)

"The world's going to end - do you know where you're going?"
"Repent or burn!"
"Believe!"

These are all slogans of a brand of Christianity I struggle with.
The first two, you probably agree with. You probably struggle with that mindset as well.
The third one, though - why would a pastor say he doesn't like encouraging people to believe?

It is because the Biblical idea of "belief" has been hi-jacked by our cultural baggage.

The math teacher tells you to "believe" that 2+2=4.
The history teacher tells you to "believe" that the Holocaust did, in fact, happen.
The preacher tells you to "believe" in Jesus.

These three are not the same.
The first two have to do with my head...what I think. What I believe to be factually true.

When the word "believe" is used in the Bible, however, it is much deeper than that.
Believing in Jesus doesn't mean agreeing with the intellectual idea that he died and rose again.
Believing in Jesus is much more like the picture above.
Reach out to him.
Let yourself fall into his arms.
Trust him.

If you're like me, though - you don't force yourself to trust someone. It isn't an act of will.
It is a by-product of a relationship. You spend enough time with someone, you learn that they mean what they say, you begin to trust them.

Today is my last blog entry before the Apocalypse. According to Familyradio.com, the "rapture" will occur tomorrow evening, May 21st, at 6:00 PM. While I could write a whole blog entry about how this is the "wrong" way to read the Bible, and how I think it is precisely this brand of Christianity that most turns people off, I will simply say this:

I trust in God's unbounded love for all. Period.
I don't trust in humans' ability to figure out the "hidden math" in the Bible.
I don't trust in a fringe group's ability to frighten people into believing in a non-Biblical picture of Jesus.
I don't trust in my own abilities, because those are limited, too...
I trust in God's unbounded love for all. Period.

So, if tomorrow's the Apocalypse, bring it on.
If not, fine - Sunday's sermon is already written.
Either way, I believe I am falling into the arms of love...