Life WITH God
Today’s post is from my ‘net-out’ of With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God by Skye Jethani. We highly recommend this book!
A short little book by a guy with a weird name has rocked my world. It’s haunted me for weeks. I finally ‘netted it out’ and figured out why. Rather than bore you with details, I’m going to stick this right in your mouth and let you chew on it yourself. We’ll see if it lights you up the way it did me.
Here are four different ‘identities.’ As relates to God and your faith, which one most describes you?
If you checked sinner, then you likely live under the constant threat of God’s wrath and punishment. You must appease His will through strict obedience to moral and ritual commands. You live your life UNDER God.
If you checked manager, you’re an autonomous being who has been given a divine manual for operating your life and world, and whose fate will ultimately rest upon how well you implement God’s principles and instructions. This is life OVER God.
For those who checked consumer, you’re likely discontent inside because of unmet desires and longings. You want God to orbit around you and fulfill your expectations in life. This is life FROM God.
And if you checked servant, you thought you’d get huge credit for being on mission from God. Your sense of value is inexorably tied to what you’re able to accomplish and the magnitude of your impact on the world. This is life FOR God.
We want safety by appeasing Him with our behavior. We turn our faith into a checklist of ‘to-do’s’ and ‘to-don’ts’ thinking we’ll curry favor with the Creator through good behavior. Like a genie in a bottle, we want God to grant our wishes if we live out His principles. We insulate ourselves from the very God we seek by working ourselves to death ‘building the Kingdom.’
So . . . where’s the 5th box? I don’t like the sound of any of these.
Reality is one of these four descriptions hits most of us where we live and illustrates how we’ve (mis)interpreted the life He wants for us . . . a life WITH God. From Eden to Paradise, that’s what He wants. That’s all He’s ever wanted. But instead of embracing His love and leaning into a real relationship, we try to use Him instead of walking with Him. And living consistently aware that He is with us.
When you saw the four ‘identity’ boxes above, you thought “Well, none of these are bad.” And they aren’t. But God has something so much more for each of us. Somewhere out there in the future, after we’ve lived our life here, He’s going to show us a white stone with His secret name for us on it (Rev. 2:17). It’ll be a ‘just between you and me’ kind of thing. Father-to-son. Father-to-daughter. That’s just how personal . . . intimate . . . intense His love is for us.
Can you ween yourself off the for God, from God, under God and over God postures?
Will you change your narrative from “I just want to do God’s will” to “He is with me, and I am with Him?” Can we learn to walk and rest in His Presence regardless of what’s coming at us? Can we ‘live it out’ knowing that He is here and He is enough?
Breathe New Life Into Your Discipleship
Small group mentoring can help you engage your people, build your core group of leaders, and transform your church. Our free resources equip you with all the tools you need to launch a sustainable mentoring program.
Responses (14)
I would have to check all four boxes but want to truly live WITH God. Thanks for sharing.
I agree…there’s all 4 of those motivations in me. But the more I relax into His love and take the pressure off both He and myself to perform, the more I feel His presence and the easier it is to resist the temptations and traps of the enemy.
I just had an RM meeting last nite and we were discussing Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven LIfe. I really like this book for all the nuggets he has in there, but some of the guys felt the book put a terrible burden on them. They saw it as a list of a million and one things they now had to do in order to please God when he asks them what they did with what He gave them. I’m emailing them this page because I think your answer is better than my attempt at this last nite. Thanks.
I feel guilty ‘letting myself off the hook’ for those 4 checkboxes, but the reality is I’m moving more in His direction in every dimension of my walk when I’m aware that He’s with me, and I’m with Him.
Thanks Pat
This was really good , I think the with could also be a life in him, as the Bible describes us being in Jesus … i think I have been in every box , until now where I can’t do that any more I am seeking to walk with him… as you said eye opening…
Being “in Him” is absolutely necessary. I think Martin Luther said that we are simultaneously sinners and saints. Being in Him allows the Holy Spirit to live through me. Jesus is loving those around me through me. I’m not smart enough to explain all of it, but Jethani’s book constantly refers to Paul’s writings and the necessity of being in Christ in order to be with Christ. Thanks for your comment. Regi
It’s finally time to say good bye to this blog. I gave it a chance and I believe your view on what God desires from us is a bit off balance. Praying for a different approach on Gods desires for us. The reason why so many men today stay in their sin of anger and pornography and so many more habitual and intentional sin is because of there skewed view of using grace as a way out instead of dealing with their sin head on. It’s time we take a deeper look at how we as men are living our lives.
Hey Dad, press on for whatever you feel called toward. I, for one, have seen men called to higher levels of faith and holiness far MORE by an emphasis on grace than on “head-on” battling with sin. Grace contains its own natural corrective, and it’s amazing how much more leverage over sin we have when we battle from the footing of “dearly loved son” than from that of “slave who dearly wants to be son”.
Of course, we need to make wise choices.
Of course, we need to learn self-control and discipline.
Of course, we need to seriously pursue holiness.
But it’s stunning how much better we do all three of these when standing on grace instead of fear.
To me, that’s core Gospel truth there.
Sounds like you’ve raised a good son. Listen to him.
I hope you’ll stick with us. I can’t always say what God wants said exactly right . . . I miss it and mess up like everyone else. But I’m telling you, this revelation of God being with me, and me being with God . . . it’s huge. When my kids were younger and they’d go out on dates, I’d send them off with “Remember, Jesus will be in the car with you”. I was trying to scare them into good behavior. But in reality, knowing Jesus was with them gave them the courage to resist the devil and do the right thing. Hey look, I’ll never stop trying to please God. I’ll never stop serving people. I’ll never stop living by Biblical principles and I’ll never forget the sinner whose dark heart still lives in my skin. But those 4 ‘postures’ are all transactional . . . “If I will, then will you?” kind of thing. The concept of walking WITH God, to ‘pray without ceasing’, to constantly tell Him “Thank you Father” “I trust you Father”, to go from challenge to challenge with His presence in my heart vs. ‘out there’ waiting for me to perform for His blessings, protection, and forgiveness, that’s a different kind of life. It’s new for me but it is REAL. I understand Paul’s writings for the first time. If you’ll send your address and agree to read it, I’ll buy you a copy of “With”. It is rock solid Biblically and the guy is so much better equipped and trained to explain stuff than this old South Carolina business guy.
Totally agree on the value of WITH — intriguing book that will surely generate great discussion among your group. Question of curiosity: What unit/theme(s) within the RM framework would you best connect the book to?
I’m outlining my next group’s material and hope to include this book WITHOUT sacrificing any of my other favourite reads!
I’d put it under “Theology”. It’ll be added to the website soon.
You are so right, Regi. This book is powerful and reminds us that the Biblical view of our relationship to God in the NT is most often child. Jesus says that he calls us friends and not servants. I have been in all five boxes and know that living with God is the plan that He laid out in scripture for us all and is the goal for which Jesus laid down his life. Thank you for suggesting it!
Thanks John . . . for being on this journey with me.
Regi