Why God is better than Google

I'm not sure what yours is - it may be a movie, a band, or a restaurant. It might be a company or a place but, whatever it is, you are an evangelist of it. It's that thing that you are so excited about that you run around telling everyone about it. You buy copies of it and give it away. You harrass your friend until they've listened to it. You have 101 reasons why they should vacation there (and 50 restaurants they need to check out when they get there).

I have many but one of mine is Google. Every other day, Google seems to release a tool (for free) that makes my life easier and makes me more productive. It's like they can read my mind. I say, "Wouldn't it be great if..." and they've already made it. Talk to me and I'll mention my gCalendar or gMail at least once. Our Core website is completely made up of Google technology. If you're reading this, you have Google to thank for it.

What is that thing and what makes you so excited about it that you have to tell everyone else? You see, I think God has made everyone of us evangelists. He's pre-wired us to get excited about something and then start running around telling everyone else about it.

So here's the point, does following God get us that excited? Do we have 101 reasons why people should check out Jesus and see what he's all about? Because, to be honest, the church hasn't given the world many good reasons to follow God lately. If someone asked you why they should follow God, what would you say? There's many answers but here are three to get you thinking:

Why follow God?

1. Story - As Christ-followers, we find out that we're a part of a larger Story ("HIS-story"). That Story tells us where we came from, why things are the way they are, what's going on now, and what's going to happen. That Story gives us meaning, purpose, and direction. We find out that most of the questions we have about our life are answered by that Story.
2. Relationship - We find out that we were made for relationship. That God is a Person we can know and get to know. That we were made to be in healthy relationship with the people around us. Just about every song our culture's poets write are about relationships. So when we tell the Story in terms of a broken relationship and the on-going reconciliation, people resonate with that.
3. Lifestyle - We find out that Jesus' teaching were all about everyday living. Following Jesus wasn't about lifeless ceremonies but a lifestyle that touches every part of who we are. And because they were meant to form a lifestyle, Jesus teachings are relevant to every part of my life (not just Sunday morning). They can help me live today, not just when I die.

What if this was what we were telling people about follow Jesus? What if we actually had answer when people asked us why they should? (1 Peter 3:15) This is the Gospel, the Good News that we have for the world. We can tell people that they matter, that their lives have value and meaning, that God didn't just leave them to figure out life but send his Son to teach us how to live.

So next time you're telling someone about how much you love Google, tell them, "...but there's something else that I get even more excited about, let me tell you about that...".