Almost

Well, the playoffs are here and let the games begin. And I'm not talking about the games games. I'm talking about the middle game since the manipulation, and I think so long that you keep an eye on the Thunder, they had 10 players that they held out for medical reasons on Friday. And if you, if you're a fan, you probably know there's been some back and forth between the league and the Thunder about injuries and missing games and all this kind of stuff, so they can for the different excuse. For each guy, then I go through all those guys. But the one I like the most was

Cason Wallace. His reasons were not from playing was left, great toe soreness.

What is left? Great toe, soreness. Is that mean it's the big toe on his left foot? Or do you have a toe? That's just really, really sore at this. Great to know the amount of sort of I can just see the team physician as they went out on the 49er field heard, he was just put them all in wheelchairs with a little bit of gauze over whatever part was injured, you know, just line them up out there.

And then you ask yourself, what if this has been a real, a real playoff game? How many of those guys were played?

Are they out there playing? And so we use sometimes, this is very fine, margins of whether we're actually prepared are involved or capable. And this morning, I like to think in terms of the word, almost remember Russell Westbrook played one time with the Denton side of his head, you know, that he wasn't stopping for anything. I should just pull up with you before, but I want to share it with you again because I just like what it says so much. Almost perfect but not quite those. Were the words of Mary Hume at her seventh birthday party. Looking around the bedroom, this tablecloth is pink. Not white. Almost perfect, but not quite almost perfect, but not quite those are the words of grown-up Mary talking about her handsome. Beau, the one who was the one she wasn't going to marry squeezes me a bit too. Almost perfect.

Almost perfect but not quite. Those are the words of Ole Miss Hume teaching in the 7th grade grading papers in the Gloom late at night up in her room. That never crossed your keys just right almost perfect.

98 the day she died complaining about the Spotless floor people shook their hands inside. Guess it's you like having more up with her soles on feathered, wings out the door, up out of sight and the boys have Heaven came, almost perfect but not quite

We get to choose the standard that we apply. All that God applies to us rather in how he evaluates us. Sometimes you believe got to say, oh this is going to be a tough sell on. This is going to be difficult and Jesus makes very clear. The measure you use it will be measured back to you. And if you say okay in the various marks.

But that's the scale that you have to use for other people. if that's the kind of latitude, you would like then that's the latitude that you ought to give and especially comes in place with the word almost You know, there's probably in some ways, not more of a sad word. Then almost. Almost there almost almost.

But not quite. We don't serve a hypocritical, God. you look at the in the Bible Old and New Testament and one of the things that you're just overwhelmed with I think is the fact that God is so patient and loving and willing to work with the people that he's created Moses Jonah. Gideon, the New Testament. How about to the all stars Peter and Paul? I mean all these guys out the great and yet the only reason they're able to be who they are is because God is patient with him, he doesn't lose his

His word. He doesn't lose his judgment based on just one little thing, it's about everything. The little children song called The God sees me from the inside out or what a great aren't you glad that God does he knows what we are all the way to work or he sees that and he knows that and he makes decisions about us because of that. I think that our Christianity's frequently challenged by what I would call almost versus all Ian. Are we almost?

Or are we literally all eaten? Almost literally means nearly virtually or a little less than You may remember the Rich Young Ruler and Mark chapter 10 starting at verse 17. He wants to know what Jesus says he needs for return life and he is a young man. Have his is conversation that he talked about, the things that are written in the law and he says, teacher, I've done all those things.

And I like so much this version, Jesus looked at him and loved him. And no no. Jesus loves him. One thing, you laugh, she said go sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come following. Why did he say that? It hurt a guy's feelings. no, he said that because there was a space there where this guy is almost but not quite and the thing Jesus can do to show him infinitely love is to explain to him that there still a gap there You know what happens? At this, the man's face fell, he went away sad because he had great wealth. Didn't do it. What do I need to do? God, get rid of all that stuff. Can't.

Care too much about that stuff. We sometimes quote Paul when he's appearing before he goes to beat Caesar and he erased a play for the Jewish judge and the judge responsible almost a way to become a Christian. We'd have it. Later versions. Talk more about it tomorrow. Question than that. But it is something that Paul was striving for here. He is there to defend his life and instead of doing that, what does he do? He tells his conversion story and tries to convert the judge, and the judge says, hang on, hang on. You're moving too fast too quick. You little space here.

In math book, chapter 12.

Beginning of speak in verse 32.

The man replied, you are right in saying that God is one. There's no other but him to love him with your heart or your understanding, all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices Jesus's strikes Beach. When Jesus saw that he's answered wisely. He said to him, you are not far. From the kingdom of God.

Now I don't know exactly what he's referencing, their I don't know exactly what Jesus does because she's just no season. No men knew but he listed this guy's hard. He almost there.

That would be cursing in one sense. But so discouraging and another, look at all the progress you've made. Look at what you understand. Look at how, well raised you were, but your family. All those things are wonderful things but there's just one other thing. You just not there yet.

I think sometimes we We get the feeling of accomplishment mixed up with the doing of accomplishment. And I thought of this example, you're driving down the road and there's somebody sending over there and they they got to sign out or whatever it is. It for some reason you feel like this person He's probably really in need. But he's on the wrong side of the freeway. so, if he was on my side of the freeway,

And what do we do in that moment? A lot of times for kind of proud of ourselves, I would have helped him, I would have been if I've been on the other side of the road and then we had this tremendous, but this still got my money, but I do what I feel good about. and God saying to us, do the deed take the action We are made in God's image and I believe that is part of what makes it right? Feel right to help other people but opportunities come along. It feels good.

It feels good to have this interaction and all of those things are positive intrinsic. Can Motivators for us because God made us that way. We can get to their sale to the place where we can buy. I meant to, I wanted to You'd have to give me a for effort.

Is that really what we're looking for?

When I was a bit Guthrie, the church played in a church basketball league. And as all Church, basketball links go there ringers everywhere. You know, there's always a guy or two or three or four, whose place of God's basketball guy, that a bunch of people in our church new, I never saw him in church, but that's the problem. Because people go to the basketball games and the other until they made a rule that on the day of the game, had to turn in your roster for the game that night and the minister of your church had to sign it. Then they had been at at least one Church activity since the last game. What's a church activity? The things these guys did to try to get these this film eligible.

Was that a church? Active got so bad that the guy.

Take communion lesson different, how did your help? Went with me and kept me company in go in. Get in the car but you know what is helpful to have? And if you're so interesting to me to hear all of these explanations for, why does person has participated in the church activity this week with everybody in the process knew that wasn't the case. And with that one, I was like, sorry guys, but this is a really big game. We get caught up in our world doing that too. Close. I'm not though.

So do you? I wish I could just ask. I can. There's a new movement called Almost Christian. and what its face on is the fact that you do so many good things on a failed to do so many bad things that you don't have to do good things. You're just almost Christian, just be a nice guy. Be a nice person. Don't get caught up essential for things of the world, but you don't really have any responsibility. To go further than that.

Jesus says different things. He says things like but anyone who hears these words of mine and it's not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on saying the rains came with strings Rose, the winds blew beat against the house and it fell. That's the person who's listening

But not doing. James Wan. Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves do what it says.

And that's a pretty simple explanation of the way that we are supposed to approach. What God wants and needs for us to do.

I wish I had been able to and I tried to do this and I only have one slide because I spent so much time trying to this other things. A little diagram. Of almost and all in.

And the distance between those two things. Is where we either serve God. Are we do what we want? And it could be a very, very, very small distance.

Almost there.

I don't even need to see just things because in your head right now you know the things that stay in there you know the things that get right there to keep what I almost a Christian from being all in Now, some of you say, well you're got your hands too close together. You know, the Gap is really wider than that. And for some of us, it may be Before a lot of visits that place where we like a few things I need to add to this. the literally for myself to be all in, Cuz the cab. Is where God's will either lives or dies. Either takes action, momentum. The other thing that's so wonderful about it. Is. get in that Gap, pulls two sides closer and You'll be happier. You'll be a happier person. As you're able to do that, it's not about perfection and don't leave here safe. Well, I mean to be more perfect. is about a commitment that says, I want to win, I'll do everything I can but you're committed when you're trying, when you're trying to give me what I'd like to have from you, I understand that. I know you're going to make mistakes. People do make mistakes. It's not about perfection.

Let me tell you one final story. I told this story before so, so he may remember it. When I was in college, I worked during the summer in the maintenance department and we had guys all over that would get together for their break time and we chose one particular Lobby. Nobody ever said, this is a Lobby, we're going to use that. This is the reason why. But we all need. and at that point in time, you take the border with Border in the in the Coke machine and there was Ice, Drink Machine is what it was called, it would drop a cup down and then drop a little bit of ice for little bit of syrup and then fill it up with water and that was, you got to The Beatles sometimes, it covers upside down the process that we met if you cuz your coronary and it would give you Nickelback So I don't know why we gravitated toward that particular lobby, but but we did and one day we got in there. Drinks, you were sitting there having our time, and that there was a guy there, and he was just playing with it on the table. And he started trying to sleep with your fingers and all that kind of stuff about the time. He said, Would it be terrible to go to hell for a nickel? Looking back on that, you can easily say well, you know, that's very legalistic. But the truth was we all knew that wasn't right? it's just

but it was a place where we said in our own hearts and our own lines, it's done pork That'll be okay. If I do that. I'm going to get caught up in those things in our lives. They look so small. They seem so unimportant. And yet the roots that they get off in the Grove, to go through to get to the place where it became serious and peanuts and serious blockages us doing and being kind of Christians that God wants us to be. Would you play with me?

To God, we want to be radical Christians. We want to be people who surrender everything to you. We want to know that glory and we want to know that satisfaction. Father, we understand why we're here and help us to remember on a daily basis. The things you want us to do and to put aside more and more the things that we want to do. Place of what you would have us do in our service to you. If I did see your precious son. Amen.

As always, we extend an invitation, you like to respond that invitation to do that.