The Way

There are some Christians who prefer structure, authority, discipline, and hard work. They want to schedule their Bible-reading and they need to check off a calendar and they want to attend church on a weekly planner. They tithe to the exact dollar and they dress up every Sunday and they would never ever curse, not even after getting a papercut from their latest Oswald Chambers devotional. And I think that’s okay. I don’t think religion has to be such a bad word all the time. Again, effort is not legalism, because legalism is legalism. I think God has room for the highly devout church guy who sits in the front row because God respects our individual dignity and personalities. God does not mock the button-up bravado of the sincerely stiff worshiper — because this sort of Christian is still a sinner in need of grace, like you and me, and we’re not called to treat him based on any other parameter. God has wired each of us differently. Some Christians will drink a beer and smoke cigars and get tattoos and pray in the woods by the river with a handmade journal and Lecrae and Mumford and Sons and Nirvana in their iPod — because this is how they meet Jesus. God has a limitless imagination to speak to each of us in a wild variety of ways. To limit this is to limit God, and I don’t ever want to suckerpunch His sovereignty.

Women must think biblically and have high expectations for how men approach them and honor them as sisters. Because of the imago Dei, ladies, because of your intrinsic value to God, you must not treat yourself cheaply. You must have high expectations for how men approach you, high expectations for how they honor you. You must understand your value before God in such a way that you will quickly and easily reject little boys who can shave who seek sexual company but will not honor your soul… Women must have higher expectations of how men approach them and treat them because they have been made in the image of God. You have not been given to man for simple comfort and pleasure. You are made in the image of God. Whether you’re married or you’re single, you’re intrinsically valuable. God has imparted to you a worth that you should gladly walk in and should let no man abuse.