The Christian life can easily become a list of tasks to accomplish, boxes to check, and making sure we’re living up to a certain standard that may or may not be a true requirement of the Christian life. It doesn’t help that we live in a society and culture where performance and being driven are valued so highly. That type of thinking is so prevalent and pervasive that it can find its way into Christianity as well. It’s easy for us to complicate the message and meaning of Christianity if we’re not careful to remember what defines Christianity at its core. Christianity can quickly become about what you do for God rather than what God has done for you.

If you’re not too familiar with the Old Testament, reading Zephaniah this week was probably quite intense. I’ve read it before and it was still intense. Some of the words that stuck out to me were:

• destruction
• distress
• anguish
• trouble
• darkness
• wrath
• gloom

It’s incredible how the last chapters of John go so well with Habakkuk. John ends his writing with the resurrection and the appearance of Jesus to his disciples. It’s an unexpected and amazing ending to the story that could have ended much worse. But the disappointment, confusion, and disbelief from the crucifixion still lingers. Although Jesus is back from the dead and appears to His disciples, they still find it hard to believe. Thomas needed to touch Jesus. The disciples still found it hard to believe it was really Jesus when He had breakfast with them on the beach even though they recognized Him.