What We Believe Matters

[intro]A recent article in WIRED detailed the career of Louie Psihoyos, who has made it his life’s mission to raise awareness of endangered species and pending environmental catastrophes.  The Cove, his 2009 documentary about Japanese dolphin kills, even earned him an Oscar.

When asked what drives him to such extraordinary lengths to record his films, he answered with a poignant story about two children he saw killed in an accident that he believes he could have saved if he had only not been too embarrassed to yell in public.  Now, he says, “I think about that family that died because I couldn’t speak up, and now I look at my whole world dying…I don’t mind being the guy screaming in the room at this point.”[/intro]

His words struck a Gospel chord with me.

I am often asked why I decided to become a pastor. In the words of Psihoyos, “I look at my whole world dying…I don’t mind being the guy screaming in the room at this point.”  Of course, I try to limit my screaming, but I think you get my point.  People are dying (eternally) and I want them to know there is a way to be saved (and only one)—Jesus. To many people, this may sounds like a crazy career path, but it all stems from what I believe and specifically what I believe about God.

What we believe matters.

Behind every one of our actions—from how we treat the fast-food worker that screws up our order to how we treat our spouse when we’ve had a bad day—is a belief.  The things we do (and don’t do), the places we spend our money (or refuse to), and every other mundane detail of life all revolve around our beliefs.  Many of us never spend the time to think about why we do these things, but that doesn’t mean our actions don’t come from beliefs, it just means they don’t come from carefully considered beliefs.

One of the most common words to describe Christians in the Bible is “believer.”  We are people who believe some stuff that makes us distinct in our culture.  We believe that the fast-food worker and our spouse are both created with dignity in the image of God but that sin has distorted that image (not just in them but in us).  Because of that, our interactions are tainted by sin.

What we believe about God matters most.

When I hear stories like that of Psihoyos, I am inspired.  No matter what you think about the issues he takes a stand on, you have to admit he is motivated to impact people’s lives now and more importantly, in the future.  But as inspired as I am, I feel like there is a little short-sightedness if we just stop there because life doesn’t stop here on earth.

Again and again, the Bible describes this life like this: “…our days on earth are a shadow” (Job 8:9).  Life is described as wind, vapor, grass, and all sorts of here today gone tomorrow things.  It would be easy to let this cause us to cry out like Solomon, “Meaningless! Meaningless!”  But there is hope that this world is not the end.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John 3:16–17

This physical world is but a blip on the radar screen of eternity. Life on earth is only the start of life. But what we believe in this life, specifically what we believe about God and how he has rescued us through Jesus, matters for all eternity.

When we begin to see this and believe it deep down, it changes our actions today.  We see those around us as people that God loves and wants to save from their sin.  You could say it’s worth being the guy screaming in the room at this point.

Image Credit: Patrik Jones