I had never hear the term prior to a few days ago, "Cargo Cult." I found out it refers to people from islands, predominately in the South Pacific, who saw military personnel arrive on the islands and then receive cargo drops from airplanes. The natives believed that by recreating and doing everything the military did, the airplanes would arrive and drop cargo to them. The natives would dress in camoflauge, organize around camps, and even built runways for airplanes to land at. These natives beleived that by recreating everything, airplanes would arrive and drop off cargo to them. They simply saw what the others had did and did the exact same things, hoping to illicit the same response. What the natives didn't realize was that although they did everything right, saluted, built runways and dressed in camo -- they didn't have a connection to the source of the cargo.
Following Jesus isn't about getting all of the actions correct. Often we think in the same ways as the "Cargo Cults." If we do X, Y and Z then God will do A, B and C. That is a view of God that limits us and limits God. The beauty of following Jesus though, is that we have the connection to the source. The 'Cargo' so to speak, doesn't arrive because we go through the right actions and motions, but instead because that's what happens when you are connected to the source.
This is an interesting thought. So what "cargo" have you received that you could not have otherwise obtained if it weren't for your connection with God?
ReplyDeleteThe 'cargo' so to speak, I've received from the personal connection with God, has been on the one hand experiencing "life abundant" or "life as it was truly designed" that Jesus taught about. One plain obvious example has been a cure of addiction. Before I met Jesus I was addicted to porn, now plain and simple I am not. And that hasn't come from me trying really hard to stop or me trying hard to follow rules so I can get into heaven. I tried before I met God, and I failed time after time. But through God's strength inside of me (God's spirit which lives inside of anyone who wants it)I dropped an addiction. Thats one simple example of cargo in my life. I'm also no longer a slave to what people think of me, to reputation, or to worry and anxiety. God is really good, He heals everything, its pretty amazing.
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