Gigi's Blog

Spiritual Heartburn

visioncgbc | April 20, 2009 07:18

Saturday we went for a long day trip. To Chapel Hill to hear Adam sing. We had to pick Meagan up at UNCG. We wanted to eat with him, so we had to get there early. We left our house at 12:30 Saturday afternoon, and got home 2:30 Sunday morning. Not kidding. But, it was fun, and Adam did a great job.

During our down time in the afternoon we were walking around with Meagan and I remembered she’d told me she has suffered from heartburn for days. She said she’d taken TUMS, but to no avail. I told her we’d go in Suttons on Franklin St. and get her something stronger. After she took the medicine, she felt better.

I’ve had heartburn before. Sometimes it feels like you’re having a heart attack. I tell you I’ve heard such opposite things on how to treat it. The bottom line sometimes is don’t eat junk food-uh that might be a problem. Cut back on my coffee??? UHHHHH………………..

When you have heartburn you want it gone quickly. You don’t want that feeling. That’s what our sermon was on yesterday in church. “Holy heartburn.” But the point is that we don’t, or Roger was telling us we shouldn’t want to get rid of it. In fact the problem is most of us don’t have it. He’s right. That burning feeling and passion is something that the majority of today’s organized church tells us to quickly take a spiritual Pepto chill pill to soothe and stop any feeling of hotness for God.

Roger said that many people in the church have their heads hung low, dragging from one thing to another, so that their spiritual things-to-do list gets accomplished. All the while they are complaining, miserable, unhappy.

When we forget The Reason we do things, especially inside the church, that makes God gag.

Yesterday in Sunday School we talked about the day of Pentecost. Acts 1:4⁴On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. What Jesus said was “You may want to leave. You may have plans that you think are right, but until you hear and receive from the Father-wait.”

We have taken our relationship with God and watered it down to knowing about Him, without knowing Him. We put in the things we like and prefer and assume that God’s on board. He’s sick of it.

Amos 5 Time to Face Hard Reality, Not Fantasy

^18-20 Woe to all of you who want God's Judgment Day!
   Why would you want to see God, want him to come?
When God comes, it will be bad news before it's good news,
   the worst of times, not the best of times.
Here's what it's like: A man runs from a lion
   right into the jaws of a bear.
A woman goes home after a hard day's work
   and is raped by a neighbor.
At God's coming we face hard reality, not fantasy—
   a black cloud with no silver lining.

^21-24"I can't stand your religious meetings.
   I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
   your pretentious slogans and goals.
I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes,
   your public relations and image making.
I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
   When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
   I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
   That's what I want. That's all I want.

^25-27 "Didn't you, dear family of Israel, worship me faithfully for forty years in the wilderness, bringing the sacrifices and offerings I commanded? How is it you've stooped to dragging gimcrack statues of your so-called rulers around, hauling the cheap images of all your star-gods here and there? Since you like them so much, you can take them with you when I drive you into exile beyond Damascus." God's Message, God-of-the-Angel-Armies.

So if you are tempted today to use something to quench your spiritual burning for God-don’t. Let God take you today to the place He’s waited a lifetime to show you. He died for it. It’s what you want. Trust me. No, trust Him.