Jesus Mean and Wild

Do you ever feel that God is out to get you? That if God loved you (or your loved one, or the community, or the world!), then bad things wouldn't happen to you? It's a tempting notion to embrace, one that gives us an excuse to not do things we know God expects us to do or try to do.

"God obviously doesn't care much about me in light of (insert bad circumstance here). He's letting down his end of the bargain to love and care for me. Therefore, I don't feel the need to (take your pick: love my neighbor, give generously, pray, worship, etc.) in return."

That idea is just plain wrong, and we can look at how God the Father treated his own beloved son Jesus for proof. I just started reading a book called "Jesus Mean and Wild, The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God " by Mark Galli. It's general premise is challenging the common "Jesus meek and mild" image. And the very first chapter (all I've read so far) looks at how God treats Jesus.

Read Mark 1:9-13, which is the story of Jesus' baptism and subsequent temptation in the wilderness. No sooner does God acknowledge Jesus as his beloved son, in whom he is well pleased, than he is sent out into the wilderness. Jesus spent 40 days alone, physically hungry and thirsty, away from God, with Satan's temptations as his only company. And this is the treatment of God's beloved son!

Who are we to think that we should be treated differently? As Christians, we have the same relationship standing with God as Jesus has, and we can boldly claim the position of beloved children. And so we shouldn't be surprised when, like Jesus, we find ourselves in times of suffering and trial. That's when we grow. That's how we are prepared for ministry. That's one of the many ways God's incredible love for us is expressed.