I’m Against It!
by Mike Rule

I really enjoy watching old Marx Brother's movies and one of my favorites is "Horse Feathers." At the beginning of this movie Groucho Marx sings a song that states his position on a variety of issues. It doesn't matter what it is, even if it was his own idea, he repeatedly and emphatically proclaims: "Whatever it is, I'm against it!"

As I reflect on the state of Christianity today I fear we have given in to a "Groucho" mentality. There is so much that we are against and so little that we are for. We are against religiosity, Catholicism, Protestantism, fundamentalism, secularism, liberalism, and legalism. We are against the liberal left, the conservative right, politicians, homosexuality, abortion, and secular holidays. Of course, some of us are even against the people who are against all these things!

I am not saying that we should not take a stand on issues. My concern is that we are so focused on fighting evil with good that we have lost sight of Jesus. God is good, but we live as though good is our god. In fighting so hard against things we often lack the ONE characteristic that is most important of a Christian life--a spirit of Love. "And by this they will know you are God's children, that you love one another." (John 13:35) We get angry, vindictive, sarcastic, condescending, and judgmental in our fight for good. As a result people don't see Jesus; all they see are Christians. The world doesn't need to see Christians; it needs to see Jesus. Good is the enemy of the very best. We mean well, but in our zeal for God we lose sight of God. The challenge for us is not to ask WWJD (What would Jesus do?), but to allow Christ to work through us to do what we could NEVER do on our own--love unconditionally!

Let me give you an example of something I have been against. In counseling I often deal with the ravages of what legalism has done to people. The pain and anguish of it causes deep wounds and heartache. People end up suicidal, on the verge of divorce, into drugs, or other fleshly things simply because they cannot take the pain of trying to live by impossible standards and principles. It took a long time for God to get through to me on this so I could see things from His perspective. I was unwilling to see that God was not fighting these things, but He was using them to bring people to the end of themselves. I hate seeing people wrapped up in legalism, but now I know that God is leading them through it so they will see their desperate need for Jesus.

The challenge for us is to pause before we take a stand against things and seek God in the issue while responding in faith to Him alone. It's not what we are against, but the One who is for us that matters. He is always reminding us that we are to be characterized by a Spirit of Love as found in 1 Corinthians 13. This kind of Love flows from the heart and is not to be confused with simply doing loving things. We can do loving things without being a loving person. God's kind of love--love that flows from the heart--is impossible for us to generate, but with God all things are possible. The next time you begin to feel yourself being stirred against something, pause a moment to reflect on Jesus. He might just surprise you with what He is doing!