Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Jesus is Not Your Dr. Phil or Suzie Orman

We get it wrong in the church a lot- especially in the West when we view Jesus as our personal psychotherapist and financial consultant. Don't get me wrong, following Jesus will improve our emotional and financial health most of the time if we follow principles laid out in scripture. But, Jesus did not shed his blood on Calvary for us, only to be our therapist when we are having emotional trouble. He didn't shed his blood to be our good luck charm, our spiritual guru, or our best friend. Yes, he is our very present help in time of need, he is our comfort and our joy, but he is also the one who calls us to take up our crosses, to die to ourselves, and to serve others. When we make Jesus into no more than our personal pop psychologists we make it all about ourselves.

The same is true when it comes to money. Jesus did not take on flesh as Emmanuel to be our personal financial advisor that somehow if we just believe enough than we will be rich. We may become rich in following Jesus, but not rich in material possessions. Even those in this life God allows to be rich in material possessions are not rich if they are not rich in spirit.

I am having trouble putting all this into words but there is something that revolts within me that we have sometimes made Jesus into an impotent counselor or financial consultant. I will be the first to say I have been guilty of it.

In the end, he is the Son of God, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the one who will return to create a new heaven and a new earth. He is the one who was whipped and beaten because of my sin and shed his precious blood to redeem my pitiful soul. To somehow make him ONLY into a psychotherapist and financial guru seems to demean him.

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