As Amy and I begin a new school year, we find ourselves surrounded by new students, new responsibilities, a new boss, and new rules. One of the main themes we plan to focus on this year is spiritual transformation of the heart. While it would be easier to simply regulate the behavior of our dorm girls through rules, rewards and punishment, it is far more productive to work on the source of their thoughts and desires. We all need to be re-formed from the inside out, rather than trying to transform ourselves by mimicking proper behavior.
The truth is humans seem hardwired to work backwards. We strive and toil at doing the right things and acting the right way in an effort to either become acceptable to God or to ourselves. Then we wonder why we’re still such a wreck. Why do I still have these thoughts? Why do I still do the things I know I shouldn’t do? Why do I still have all this emotional baggage that I can’t seem to dump?
The problem is that we think doing the things that a good person is supposed to do is the same as being a good person. In reality, there is a monster that lurks inside each of us—Scripture calls that monster “sin” or “the flesh.” We may be monsters that act nice, but we’re still monsters. In effect, we are all wolves in sheep’s clothing. We try to push down our sin so it won’t pop its ugly head out into the open where others can see it. Often we try to hide it from ourselves as well. But if we’re honest, we’re generally aware of the evil that lies in our hearts; we just don’t always know why it’s there or how to get rid of it. The usual method is to try and manage our sin. We try and keep it at bay by putting constraints on ourselves or by doubling our efforts to suppress it. “I’ll just do better next time,” we tell ourselves. We think that by acting right, we can keep the monster inside locked up. If you’ve got a man-eating tiger running loose in your house, you could “handle it” by locking it in one of the rooms, but a tiger in a cage is still a tiger! It’s not gone, it’s just waiting for you to crack the door.
Here’s an example of how this plays out in religion: It just so happens that the beginning of the new school year corresponds to the month of Ramadan—a month dedicated to the following of very specific rules. Ramadan is the most holy month of the Islamic year as it is believed to be the same month that God revealed the first verses of the Qur’an to Muhammad. It is also the month of fasting or sawm for all able, adult Muslims. Fasting is considered one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith along with confessing the faith, prayer, alms giving, and pilgrimage to Mecca.
This month-long fast probably isn’t what you think of when you think of fasting. Ramadan is not about starving yourself for a month. In fact, Muslims can eat before sunrise and after sunset, they’re simply prohibited from eating or drinking anything during daylight hours. Some very devout Muslims won’t even swallow their own spit. This act of depravation is supposed to redirect the heart away from worldly activities. It is meant to teach Muslims to practice submission to God, self-discipline, sacrifice, and empathy for those who are less fortunate – thus encouraging actions of generosity and charity. Muslims are expected to put more effort into following the teachings of Islam, to offer more prayers to Allah, and practice purity in both thought and action.
Muslims are also encouraged to read the entire Qur’an during this month. Many take part in special prayers at the mosque each night called tarawih in which the Qur’an has been divided into 30 sections and a part is read each night of the month. So, by the end of the month, they have heard the entire book.
Now, one would think that this extended time of focusing on holiness would inspire the best behavior in all who participate. But in actuality, this is a time of increased gluttony, theft, and begging. Studies show that Muslims consume more food during the fasting month than any other month. They gorge themselves before dawn in order to avoid hunger during the day, then they eagerly await the siren at dusk that signals the okay for digging into the evening celebration meal. Many will also change their work schedules so that they can work at night and sleep during the day, avoiding the fast altogether. And since Ramadan is supposed to bring increased awareness and charity for the poor, enterprising individuals come out of the woodwork to go begging door-to-door, knowing that people are not supposed to refuse them.
At the conclusion of Ramadan, a great 2 day feast takes place called Idul Fitri. The custom dictates that Muslims go home at this time to ask (and receive) forgiveness for the sins they’ve committed in the last year. They are to wear new clothes and give gifts to family and friends. It’s sort of like our Thanksgiving and Christmas all wrapped up in one mega-holiday. However, clothes and gifts cost money, so instances of theft skyrocket. Stores raise their prices, vendors try to cheat you, scams are common, and con artists try to talk their way into your house to see what’s worth stealing.
So what happened to submission to God, purity, and sacrifice? Unfortunately Islam is a faith driven by legalism—strict adherence to the letter of the law rather than the acceptance of God’s grace to affect a change of heart. Muslims never know where they stand with God. When they die, their eternal destiny is largely based on whether their moral credits outweigh their debits and, even then, God gets to decide the balance. So they go through life trying to earn God’s favor through works such as the five pillars I mentioned earlier. Finding loopholes in the law becomes an art form. Why wouldn’t someone cheat and steal during the holy month when all will simply be forgiven at Idul Fitri? Following religious law doesn’t change a person’s heart. At best it can only alter their behavior and generally does a poor job of that as well. Just read the Old Testament and see how well it worked for the Hebrews. Muslims, Jews, and far too often Christians, base their standing with God on an over-emphasis in discipline of conduct, pride, and superficiality, to the neglect and ignorance of God’s grace. This is religion based on works and is contrary to the teachings of Christ.
Sadly, Islam knows nothing of the love and grace of God; however, there is something about it to be admired. It is a cultural religion and influences their daily life, they are diligent in prayer, and they highly revere what they believe to be the Word of God. The truth is, even as a devoted Christian, I still find that my faith often falls short of what I want it to be, let alone where God wants it to be. I don’t pray as much as I should. I don’t read my Bible as often as I should. I don’t allow the Holy Spirit to permeate and guide my every action and thought throughout each day. I quite simply don’t cherish or stand in awe of God or His time, His presence, His love, His grace, His sacrifice, His will, His commands, or His Word anywhere near as much as I should or could. I’m finding that intending to do better just doesn’t work. I require a brand new desire—divinely implanted, not a more organized schedule. I need to give myself up. Die to self. Let Him live in me…through me. The rest will fall into place on its own.
The words ”Islam” and “Muslim” both come from the same root which means “submission.” And while it is a man-made religion based on distortions of the truth, the idea of total submission to God is correct. I pray that every day I would submit my whole life—every part of it—to God. The universal Christian church as well, now more than ever, needs to rediscover a genuine commitment, excitement and zeal for God and His Word. We need a renewed heart instead of rote outward obedience or some self-help (“sin management”) program. It isn’t enough to chain the tiger up. And don’t dare try to tame it. The only way to handle a tiger in your house is to put it down! Sin must not be tolerated, ignored or allowed to survive. To the degree we allow the Spirit to transform us on the inside, so will we conform to His likeness on the outside as well. The one flows from the other, but the heart must change first, then right action and obedience fueled by love will follow—not the other way around.
As a final note, please check out the video link below. While we don’t know the particular people in this video, we do know quite a few people who work in this ministry. The video shows the Kimyal people of West Papau receiving the first New Testament in their own language. I wish we were all this thrilled and passionate about receiving God’s Word. Why aren’t we?
