Priorities

First I would like to give a hug and a kiss to my Kristy, because I think you are the only one who reads this. YOU're AWESOME!
We need to get our priorities straight. Who's we? CHRISTIANS! I have had it up to here (pointing to head) with Christians and churches with warped priorities. We have become so consumed with silly things that if Jesus was to come into our churches we would pray that God would help him to conform to us.
"Why can't that guy just be like everybody else? Why does he have to make a spectacle of himself?"
I can actually hear people saying this about our Savior if he was to pop into one of services as a stranger.
I have recently had to deal with some severe Christian immaturity and it gives me a completely new sense of appreciation for Jesus and his life on earth. I had a really bad morning and spent the remainder of the afternoon praying and reading about Jesus pre-crucifixion prayers up until his ascension into Heaven.
Jesus was the Son of God and he had Priests coming up to him and telling him he was doing wrong by God. If you were Him, wouldn't you have wanted to scream,
"OF COURSE I"M RIGHT BY GOD, I AM GOD!"
The Pharisees are still so present in todays society. Being in the Salvation Army, it scares me to death how quick we are to condemn anything that isn't traditionally army. I've actually heard people pretty much say,
"Well the reason we don't do things the way Jesus commanded is because William Booth had an idea to do it a different way."
I love Willy but Are you serious?!? That is so scary to me it's not even funny.
We need to reprioritize. Are we more concerned with the heart or the uniform? Are we going to keep all people accountable or only the ones that we feel comfortable confronting? Are we going to focus on the Word or on the tradition, because God's word can be applied to every era, it never gets old and it's never going to be outdated, but our tradition is. You may be second, third, fourth generation Salvationist, you may have been in the Army for years, but the people you are trying to reach in the unchurched world have not. I'm getting off on another tangent all together but I am spiritually frustrated and I want to scream!
This is the first time that I have made denominational decisions based souly on what my convictions are from the word. In the past I have wanted to seek out other denominations because I was angry or being selfish but God has brought me to a place where I am running my life's decisions through his word and it alone, because it is really the one thing that I can be sure of. I know that God is leading me to a new place and I am really excited about that. I don't want these writings to sound like the ventilation of an angry Salvationist because there is nothing new about that. Instead I plead with anyone who reads this to re-prioritize. What's more important? And when you discover what it is, rely on God's strength to usher you through because if I have learned anything about doing God's will, it is usually going to be hard, unpopular and challenging. Also, expect more from your Christian peers. The bible says that 'Iron sharpens Iron.." And we need to do that for eachother. Don't just keep accountable those people who are easier to come down on then others. Help other people be all that they can be by lovingly bringing your concerns to them about their spiritual lives. It's so important.
I don't know if anything I've said has flowed together at all and I don't even know if it's making any sense to anybody. I just want to send out a thank you to the people who call and write and encourage me with prayer and assure me that I'm loved. Whenever I want to cry, laugh, rejoice or vent, I confide in you and you are the people who get me through and I thank God for you.