FulLife Devotional
Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith
by Rob Bell
Movement One | Jump
"Jesus exposes us to reality at its rawest. So the way of Jesus is not about religion; it's about reality. It's about lining yourself up with how things are."
As Christ-followers, we often run into this problem of getting caught up in the way things appear. We base our actions on our experience, on our feelings. But when we do that, we so often aren't basing our actions on the Truth. It is then that we live our lives in our own Land of Make-Believe.
But we are called to something higher. Colossians 3.1 commands us to set our sights on the realities of heaven and not focus on the realities of earth.
- Earthly reality: We don't always FEEL God's presence.
- Heavenly reality: We're always IN His presence.
- Earthly reality: God could never forgive me.
- Heavenly reality: He ALREADY HAS!
- Earthly reality: The Enemy is powerful and intimidating.
- Heavenly reality: The Enemy cowers in the presence of our God.
Jesus shows us the way to reality. He is the Ultimate Reality. And we must learn to trust His way and follow Him.
(That is, unless you like living in the Land of Make-Believe...)
Movement Two | Yoke
"Because God has spoken, and everything else is commentary."
How often do we run to our friends and family members to seek their advice on a particular subject? How often do we talk things over with our pastors and spiritual leaders without testing what they say against Scripture? How often do we "forget" to pray for a tough decision we have to make?
All too often, I assume.
Is it wrong to ask the advice of smart people? Absolutely not! They often see things that we don't. Proverbs tells us that there is wisdom in seeking counsel. The problem comes when we forget that God's Word is our benchmark and foundation for everything that we do.
God's Word - both the Word Incarnate (Jesus Christ) and the Word that we hold in our hands (the Bible). God has spoken. And we must realize that all advice, all words of wisdom, all counsel must be filtered through His Word. And that means that we must be familiar and intimate with that Word.
I challenge you to dive into Scripture and begin to study and memorize it. Whatever stage of spiritual maturity you're at, go ahead and kick it up a notch. Take the next step. Don't let anything prevent you from knowing Him more intimately.
Movement Three | True
"Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there.... You see God where others don't. And then you point him out."
In this portion of his book, Rob Bell is addressing the mindset that many of us have: God only lives in certain countries, and missionaries must "take God" with them to lesser-known parts of the world.
But let's just stop and think about that for a moment. God is omni-present... we are always in His presence. Which means that anywhere that people are, God is there.
The problem is, we just miss Him. We can't understand how God could be working in a place contending with the AIDS epidemic. We don't know how God could exist in a place where little children are being sold as slaves. We aren't even sure how God could be at work in our own homes, sometimes, if all we experience is violence and hatred.
But somehow... God is there. We must train the eyes of our hearts to see Him. Moses learned to do this: "Moses... kept his eyes on the one who is invisible" (Hebrews 11.27). And when we find Him, we point Him out. We show others how God is at work.
Where do you see God? Who are those who are struggling to see Him? How can you point Him out?
Movement Four | Tassels
"But the Hebraic understanding of shalom is far more than just the absence of conflict or strife. Shalom is the presence of the goodness of God. It's the presence of wholeness, completeness."
Our understanding of things is usually so shallow... Peace? "As long as I'm not dealing with any major arguments or problems, I have peace." Well, my friend, let me challenge that statement. Are you really at peace?
Perhaps you're "at peace" as the world understands it. But it's a shallow form of peace that can be easily penetrated. One wrong thing... one bad day... and the peace disappears. All we feel is frustration, heartache, betrayal.
There's a deeper form of peace available. Christ said, "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't the peace the world gives" (John 14.27). Christ gives us a peace of mind and heart. He gives us a peace "that passes understanding" (Philippians 4.7). It's hard to describe what this peace feels like, but you'll notice it when you see someone living in it.
Peace... shalom... It's a precious gift we can receive when we follow Him. Just open your arms and embrace it... by embracing Him.
Movement Five | Dust
"Rabbis had no interest in having the student spit back information just for information's sake. They wanted to know if the student understood it, if he had wrestled with it."
There have been many times when I've read something in the Bible without taking the time to understand what it means. I think we've all been guilty of that. Maybe we're studying for a Bible quiz, or maybe we're going to be tested on it in some college class, or maybe we're just expected to know the basic storyline for a Bible study we're in.
Yet James writes that we need to read the Word and then follow through with obedience (1.22-25). But in order to follow through with obedience, we must understand what the text is trying to tell us.
Take some time this week and wrestle with a few verses of Scripture. Read them over and over again. Pray about what those verses mean. Think about what it meant to the original audience (to the Israelites, or to the early Christians). See if you can discover any relevancy or application to your life. And then put it into practice. Obey what God is telling you to do.
And don't worry about wrestling with the text. God seems to like wrestling matches... (see Genesis 32.22-32).
Movement Six | New
"...if people were taught more about who they are, they wouldn't have to be told what to do."
Know... Be... Do. That's a phrase that I heard a lot throughout college. It goes right along with what Bell is saying here.
Our behaviors are based on our beliefs. Note - you might not always live what you profess, but you will ALWAYS live what you believe. However, for many of us, what we profess and what we believe are two different things.
But let's set that issue aside for another day and ask this: Who are you?
The way you answer that question will tell you exactly what you believe about God and His character, about your place on this planet, about how you relate to other people. It will show you how your experiences have affected your beliefs. It might even reveal a fear that you have tucked away, safely out of sight.
Who are you? Does that line up with what Scripture teaches?
Movement Seven | Good
"Ultimately our gift to the world around us is hope. Not blind hope that pretends everything is fine and refuses to acknowledge how things are. But the kind of hope that comes from staring pain and suffering right in the eyes and refusing to believe that this is all there is."
Every 18 minutes, someone in this country commits suicide. Every minute, someone in this country attempts suicide. More than 18 million Americans struggle with depression. About half of the marriages in this country end in divorce. Many of us have friends and family fighting overseas.
And the list goes on... no wonder that one of the best gifts we can offer to those around us is the gift of hope.
When you see someone who is hopeless, point them toward the source of all hope: Jesus Christ. That doesn't mean that you pretend that everything is fine when it's not. It doesn't mean that you try to change the subject whenever someone is expressing hurt or anger. It means you sit with them in their pain, in their confusion... and you let them know that - even though things are hard - we know that God is in control.
He's the only hope we have...
- Kari Lee
**PLEASE NOTE - Velvet Elvis contains some really good stuff and eye-opening perspectives. However, there are also some comments and teachings that need to be tested against the Bible. Please take the time to weigh what Bell is saying and ask the Spirit to help you “sift” the ideas in this book.
Visit our store to buy Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell now.
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