I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

One of the benefits of living in the desert is you can really get face to face with who you really are. Around people, we wear masks and compare ourselves to one another to determine our worth, but when there's no one else around, none of that really matters. All that matters is "do I have it in me to take the next step or will I give up."

When Jesus was led into the desert, he was tempted. Only after he realized that those temptations did not compare with His desire to complete a mission was He released to start his ministry.

It has occurred to me lately how much worldly success still has a hold on me. People can sing all the songs they want about abandoning everything of value to follow Jesus, but that doesn't mean they'll actually do that if they came to such a crossroad. (I'm so sick of worship songs, I'll probably never enjoy one again.) If I'm completely honest with myself, I'll admit that much of my past has been driven by a carnal desire to be better than everyone else at different things. I don't like to BRAG, but I'm not happy if I don't have bragging RIGHTS.

It would crush me if I found out that my life will be nothing but a series of seemingly mediocre experiences that can't easily be seen as influential or effective towards some kind of world change. That fact reveals the truth that I still reserve a small portion of my worship for the idol of worldly success (the second temptation of Jesus in Luke 4:5).

It's okay to want to be glorified by God, because his way of doing so is always just and right (read C.S. Lewis's the Weight of Glory). It's not okay to feel the same way about receiving glory from people. That's encroaching on God's territory, and He doesn't like that... especially when we know better.

Some people don't know better. I was at this urban clothing store in Schaumburg, IL where I was thumbing through an interesting book titled "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell." It's a book of supposedly true stories all involving Tucker Max, a self-described womanizing asshole-drunk. The one story I read most of before leaving the store was about his trip to a strip club where the employees allow patrons to "try out the merchandise." The story came to a climax when he haggled a stripper/prostitute down to 5 dollars from 300.

It's easy for the self-righteous to point fingers at this guy in disgust and say "what an idiot," but truth be told, this guy is a king and a genius in the world of agnosticism. It makes absolutely no sense to have an inch of moral fiber if humanity is a product of a series of uncaused causes. I would probably aspire to be something like this guy if I had no prior revelation of who God is. Why not ...if we're all going to be dust in a thousand years? F the world, and do what you want. Survival of the fittest. I have an awareness of God, though, so my feelings for this guy aren't disgust or hatred...more like pity.

Tucker Max is a king on this earth. He does whatever he wants and then writes books about his life, thereby fueling the likelihood of more escapades that will shock the culture and build his kingdom. He probably won't make it past thirty-eight, but if there is no God, he is the smartest person alive. In a world where souls don't exist, only an idiot would refuse to sell one to the highest bidder.

Yet, there is a God, so what would seem to be the wisest thing to do in the world's eyes is complete foolishness to God.

(1 Cor. 1:25) For God's nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

Unfortunately, Tucker doesn't know this or doesn't WANT to know this (probably both). The very title of the book proves the fact that he knows nothing of hell. Hint: they don't serve anything there.

I, however, DO know. So how much more should I be willing to live a visually mediocre life if I knew that is what God wants of me? He may not want me to, but I should be jumping at the chance to live an "unsuccessful life" for Jesus if that's what He has for me. Yet temptation often drags me back to ungodly despair when I think of such a destiny. My prayer is that the next events in my life will be guided by the Spirit to brand this teaching of Jesus on my heart:

(Mark 8:36) "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"