Wandering Crusader #287 What Does God Care About?

When I became a Christian in 1974, God seemed to care about a great many things. He cared about what I read and watched. He cared about how I dressed, how I spent my time, and how I spoke. He seemed to care about everything, even down to how I thought about things. The church had an opinion about many things too. I must admit, the two were not always the same. So, I studied the scriptures and sided with God where the two diverged in the woods.

If you recognize the reference, you know much about the way I have traveled on my Christian journey. I have been all over the country and attended many different churches, examined statements of faith, and shared a pew with all kinds of people. I have a personal preference concerning which church comes closest to my study of the scripture. None is an exact match. However, if you actually read what churches believe, speak with practicing members, and worship with them, you will discover that they are more alike than they are different, and many of the rumored stereotypes fall apart.

So, I wonder why God cares about so little today. To hear Christians tell it, God either had to lighten up so people would be saved and come worship, or He never really cared about things, and the church just made that up to control people. I leave everyone to make up their own mind about that. I got saved because I wanted to live for Christ in the way I saw modeled and heard preached by the church where salvation found me. I joined the Church (the body of Christ) that called me out of the world. The Church did not join me in the life I was living. Experience, taste, age, and study have not changed my mind about that.

On the contrary, experiencing churches where God does not care about “little” things has strengthened my resolve to seek out God’s will for me in everything. When my personal transformation stalls, I know that I am drifting from the prize and it is I, not God, who no longer cares.

What does God care about? Ask, and ye shall receive. But beware, God’s answer may not please you, and once you have the knowledge, you are responsible for it. He that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin.

Maranatha