Empty Promises

One possible reason for the failure of modern Christianity in Western culture is because it offered empty promises that have ended in the disillusionment of so many people.

We were promised success, but life brought failure. We were promised happiness, but life brought disappointment. We were promised perfection, but sin still pervades all areas of our lives.

Jesus never promised success, only contentment. Jesus never promised happiness, but he did promise suffering. Jesus never promised perfection, only forgiveness.

Jesus, who just so happened to be God, identified with the poor and the outcasts, not the successful and powerful. The only one who deserved to be worshipped and adored chose to relate to those on the fringes of society: those in poverty, the zealots, the broken and diseased. He could have had the biggest ministry of the day, but instead chose to scare half of his followers away.

Jesus, who fully embraced humanity, embraced suffering as well. He was homeless, hungry, and hated. Get this, the one we worship (who never asked to be worshipped, only followed), is the one who was beaten and hung on a cross, punishment reserved for the worst criminals. He not only accepted his suffering willingly, he exalted suffering, saying that we can, and should, find joy in our suffering, to carry our own crosses willingly and joyfully.

Jesus, perfectly divine in fallen flesh, never demanded perfection. He is the only one who can cast a stone at humanity’s ugliness, but he freely forgives instead.

You will fail. Over and over again. Failure is not bad. It is just a part of the journey.

You will suffer. It is one of Jesus’s few promises. But God is there in your suffering, walking you through it until you come out on the other side a new creation. Suffering is your greatest teacher and your greatest friend. Embrace it.

You are forgiven. Do not feel shame for what you have done or what you will do. It is all already forgiven. It all belongs. God is using your sin to form you into the person that you were created to be. Sin is not a big deal. Do not make it an idol, something that needs to be feared. Remember, God knows your sin and embraces all of you.

Do not fall for empty promises. Fall for Jesus.