controversial reading

I've been reading the best seller "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson who is ironically from the same town of Minnesota I live in.

I've realized how refreshing it can be to read a non-Christian-help book.  My mind is drawn in by stories more than exegesis and I need breaks from Christian books and sermons as my extra reading!

Plus, since Andrew and I have been taking trips to India, I'm especially fascinated by that general area along with the Middle East.  I read the book "Betrayed" a while ago and it was an interesting sliver of life in traditional Muslim-dominated Kurdish Iraq.

As I was reading Three Cups, I guess Andrew was watching the news and multiple times this story popped up.  Sadly, new information basically has slashed credibility and integrity about the story and the organization it's connected to.

It is so interesting to me that a man who has heard about Christianity not only rejects it, but seeks to live out a "good" life.  He gives, he sells what he has for other people, he builds schools for poor children, etc. But I keep thinking of the Isaiah 64:6 verse that says our "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." It baffles me because without Christ people are in an ultimate sense seeking their own selfishness. Mortenson seeks praise as a humanitarian and he probably feels good about himself, but truly he's fallen completely short of God's standard of perfection and still stands separated form God apart from Jesus.  Christ is the only way to attain a relationship with God and to please Him.  We will never on our own be praise worthy.  "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows," (James 1:17).

Only until we truly comprehend and experience Christ's truly selfless love, can it flow through us to others.  Otherwise, everything starts from ourselves and flows from us, ultimately resulting in our selfishness.

I'm grateful that despite my selfishness, Christ does still love me