An “ish” kind of faith …

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Yesterday I saw the above photo posted by someone on Twitter. It struck me that it’s a good visual for how many of us approach the Christian life with an “ish” kind of faith.

The problem with that is we serve a specific God. Look at just a few of the ways God is very specific:

“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind,'” Matthew 22:37.

“If you love me, obey my commandments,” John 14:15.

“Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” Matthew 28:18-20.

Even the Apostle Peter, whose own walk with Christ was sometimes erratic, points us to a faith without an “ish”:

“So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy,'” 1 Peter 1:14-16.

There’s nothing suggestive about God’s Word to us, nothing half-baked, and certainly nothing half-hearted. There is no “ish” in God’s love for us, and His clear commands to us. Yet so much of our walk with God — from our trust and love, to our service and giving, and most all aspects of living a life of faith — are done with an “ish” attitude.

“Ish” attitudes are a reflection of how much we still desire what we want over what God wants. We see the posted speed limit sign as an “ish” because instead of obeying the authorities God has placed over us, we claim “grace” and “freedom” to do what we want. It’s an “ish” attitude because, when truth be told, we often just don’t want to obey God.

Zig Ziglar tells a story that highlights how cheap excuses are when we have an “ish” attitude …

    A man went next door to borrow his neighbor’s lawnmower. The neighbor explained that he could not let him use the mower because all the flights had been canceled from New York to Los Angeles.

    Confused, the borrower asked, “What do canceled flights from New York to Los Angeles have to do with borrowing your lawnmower?”

    The neighbor answered, “It doesn’t have anything to do with it, but if I don’t want to let you use my lawnmower, one excuse is as good as another.”

    When someone doesn’t want to do the will of God, no excuse is a good one, but any excuse will do.

When it comes to knowing, loving, and obeying God, just how “ish” are you?

Scotty