How is your relationship with God?

His name is Snobberish, Broderick Snobberish to be precise and he is precise.  He is a snob, a rich snob, but morally perfect, never steps out on his wife, never drinks anything stronger than a diet coke,(at least in public anyway), he sits on many boards including school boards, council meetings, and he is a deacon at the first assembly of the rich and famous.  But tonight he is angry, because he gave in to his fellow deacons and invited the new minister (radical minister at that) to his annual Christmas party.

The house is full and the mayor is there, along with lots of rich contemporaries who he hopes to get support from in the upcoming election.  Everything is perfect except for him, yep him, the new minister, Benjamin Doogood.  This guy has turned Snobberish's nice quiet church around.  He preaches on equality through the cross, and feeding the poor, and reaching out to the hurting, but that’s not the worst part.  Mr. DooGood is actively involved in all of these ministries and is encouraging the church members to do the same.  That means hanging out at the downtown disgusting soup mission, and allowing alcoholics and drug addicts to use the building for their “recovery” meetings.

Now this; among the exquisite delicacies, and his best fine china; among all the who’s who in society is this radical, unstylish, ordinary guy who wants to tell everyone about Jesus.  I mean, that’s fine in church, but not here.  It’s like he didn’t get the hint from the cold shoulder, the lack of greeting, the last minute invite, that he really isn’t wanted here.  Wait a minute, what’s that commotion, and why is everyone gathered around someone in the living room? 

Who let her in? She looks like, well like what she is, a street hooker, prostitute, lady of the night, whatever you want to call her.  She showed up looking for Doogood, some sort of emergency and now she is studying the Bible in front of his distinguished guests in his living room, on Christmas Eve of all nights.  Why doesn’t the “good minister” just fill up the bathtub and baptize her right now in her low cut, tight, indecent dress that makes her look like the whore she is.  Wait a minute, is that water running, seriously? 

That’s why Mr. Snobberish is angry.  He’s lost sight of what Christianity is, and instead he is steeped in religion and tradition.  Yes this is a modern day version of what happened to Jesus Himself in Luke 7:36-50.  Jesus said something to Simon (or Broderick Snobberish) that still rings true today, Luke 7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."  Any relationship that isn’t first based on love is weak at best. The Apostle John put it this way, “we love because he first loved us”.  When examining your relationship with God, make sure that you aren’t basing your evaluation on what you do, but rather who you love, which is exactly what this woman did, and the exact opposite of what Simon did.  So I'll ask again, How is your relationship with God?

Lance