“God does not search around to find you a mate that’s compatible. More than likely he’s going to search around and find you a mate that’s totally incompatible with you. Why? He’s going to give you a mate that’s strong in all the areas where they must be strong that you not be tempted beyond what you can bear, but he’s also going to give you a mate that fails in some of the areas where you most do not want them to fail so that you become like Jesus. And what does that mean? So that you learn to love someone unconditionally that doesn’t meet the conditions.”  - Paul Washer   (source: video)

It was to a group of Christians that Paul Washer said this, and the implications are life-changing.

• Those of us who are married: Do we put unfair expectations on our wife or husband because we somehow have this idea that God gave our spouse strength in every single area that we are weak in?
• To those of you dating someone–and this recently included myself: Do you have dangerous assumptions relying on what God will do in the other person you’re with, instead of striving towards sanctification in your own life as you date this person?
• And lastly to those Christians not in either category: Do you expect someday to find the person that will magically be the solution for all of your weaknesses, as if Christ died for some of your sin–just the sin thats easy enough for you in your power to get rid of?
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No, instead “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2).  Isn’t it complete changes that we see across the accounts of people God uses in the Bible? I’m thinking of Jesus’ disciples who left all they had to follow him, many of whom later were put to death because they held to their faith about who he really was, or the way the apostle Paul turned from killing Christians to not just becoming one but going on to write a large portion of the New Testament. None of this “Never change who you are” fluff, or any form of the popular lie “It’s just how God made me” that ignores the fall of the human race in Genesis 3 (and references back to this event such as Romans 5:12). If these disciples and early Christians were being completely transformed on the inside, why then are we so quick to make excuses about habits we’re lazy with, as if calling it a personal struggle means we’re given a “Get Out of Jail Free” card?

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Paul Washer: The Truth About Christianity

Transcript here. YouTube url here.

Quote excerpt:

“I’m talking about Christianity. I have spent my life in jungles. I have spent my life freezing in the Andes Mountains. I have seen people die. A little boy–Andrew Myman–the Muslims shot him five times through the stomach and left him on a sidewalk simply because he cried out, “I am so afraid but I cannot deny Jesus Christ. Please don’t kill me, but I will not deny Him.” And he died in a pool of blood. And you talk about being a radical Christian because you wear a tee shirt, because you go to a conference. I’m talking about holiness. I’m talking about Godliness.” - Paul Washer

At the time of posting, this video from 2006 had 1.3 million views, thankfully with the comments disabled to avoid inevitable, pathetic out of context arguments. This guy’s powerful words just make every wishy-washy TV evangelist’s positive self-esteem-building feel-good mystic fluff look like an ant in front of a thunderstorm. And take note that we can walk away thinking about the message, rather than the messenger. Alright, I need to go evaluate my entire life again.