It's been said that guilt is not a good motivator. But that hasn't stopped the church from dishing out unhealthy doses of it every week. In the most common setting, I think it is usually an unfortunate by-product of the noble efforts of every well-meaning spiritual cheerleader, from pastors to Sunday School teachers to summer youth camp speakers. But in the worst case scenario it is piled on intentionally to elicit desired behaviors, from tithing to daily devotions to regular church attendance - to taking a turn in the church nursery.
A young friend stopped over a couple of days ago for a visit and he got talking about the previous twelve years of spiritual defeat that he had experienced starting at age 14 when a youth leader challenged everyone to sign on to a 30-day Adventure that would include a daily quiet time of Bible reading, prayer, and journalling. He never got past day 4, and if you missed a day you had to start over, so he dreaded each Sunday's meeting when the successful few would be awarded a pop tart or a music CD while he received a challenge to start over and do better. He never did better, and he's had trouble motivating himself to read the Bible ever since.
Obviously, his mentor didn't mean to cause him a lifetime of defeat; it was just a nasty consequence of an under-developed and adolescent spiritual appetite found wanting in a zealous spiritual environment. He lately reviewed one of his journals from those days and found several entries that ended with a sleepy scribble off the edge of the page where he had fallen asleep while journalling. Defeat after defeat. Guilt.
I think this guilt that so widely pervades the realm of Christian experience is a result of a works-based gospel. Salvation is supposed to bring freedom, but then it is followed by this burden of holiness. Though intended to be an encouragement toward a closer relationship with God, the Sunday sermon ends up being a challenge for us to pull ourselves up by our own boot straps - in five easy steps that spell an acronym.
I think the church needs a reboot to a grace-based gospel. An author and online pastor, John Fischer, says that "When you get close to God you don't become more spiritual, you become more loving." Love is the outgrowth of our own gracious redemption.
The true test of spirituality is not in your quiet time or your devotional life, it is in your loving behavior. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord, and He never mentioned it without connecting the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor. The apostle Paul even consolidated them, skipping the first and going directly to the second when he said, "The ENTIRE law is summed up in ONE command, love your neighbor as yourself."(Gal. 5:14) He somehow left out daily devotions and a whole bunch of other stuff.
I've often asserted that the first commandment is fulfilled through the second. In other words, we demonstrate our love for God by loving our fellowman. We may develop a closer relationship with the Lord through Bible reading and prayer, but we carry it out by expressing the love of Christ to others.
The fruit of a dedicated life may not be in how many Bible verses we can quote, but in how many of our friends and neighbors are having a better life because of us.
So being spiritual can be as simple as carrying the groceries in for the neighbor lady. But if you miss that opportunity, don't feel guilty about it; you might get to help another time; there are a million ways to express the love of God in the world.
Don't let me or any preacher guilt you into anything - not even about being more loving. If you are more loving next week, that will be good. And if you are not, your salvation is not in danger. God still loves you. You can't be bad enough for God to stop loving you, so relax. And if you want to read the Bible, do it. And if not, don't. You're not any farther away from heaven when there is dust on your Bible. Not only that, but you would probably be much more spiritual if you'd spend your tithe on new tires for your poor neighbor's car than to give it to the church.
"For we are saved by grace through faith... it is the gift of God, not of works (behavior) lest anyone should boast."(Eph.2:8-9) Augustine once said, "Love God... then do as you please." I would adjust that to say, "Demonstrate your love for God by loving your neighbor... and then do as you please." So there's no long list of things you must do to be more holy, only the law of love.
The next time your spiritual coach makes you feel defeated or guilty, go out and buy your own pop tarts. You will always deserve it. And then if you want to be spiritual, share them with some other undeserving soul.
"Now these three remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love." (I Cor. 13:13) According to this, our love is even greater than our faith in God. Wow.
What makes you feel guilty or defeated in your spiritual walk? Where does this guilt come from, and how can you stop it?
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