More Than a Little Piece

 “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16.24

We all leave a piece of ourselves behind when we move to a new place. But to become a long-term resident of Villas Las Estrellas, Antarctica. Leaving a piece of yourself behind is a literal thing. With the nearest hospital 625 miles away, a person will be in serious trouble if their appendix bursts. So every citizen is required to undergo an appendectomy before moving there.

Sounds drastic right? But it's not as drastic as becoming a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Because people want to follow Jesus on their own terms and not His. (Matthew 16:25-27) He said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” This includes being prepared to let go of everything that competes with Him and His Kingdom.

As we take up our cross, we also take on a willingness to truly follow Him. This means following His lead as He guides us into service and sacrifice. Following Jesus means so much more than leaving a little piece of ourselves of ourselves behind. With His help, it's about submitting and surrendering our whole lives, including our bodies, to Him alone.

Have You Surrended?

 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me"  Matthew 16:24

This morning, I read a news article about a woman who was frustrated in a McDonald's Drive Thru. It seems that she was upset because they did not have the food item that was listed on the menu and as a result, she pulled a gun on the worker!! Where is all this anger coming from? Every day we hear of multitudes of shootings, many over trivial things!

I am not a psychologist, but it appears to me that the majority of anger issues stem from a sense that a person's rights was violated or denied!

• Road rage occurs when someone is driving too slow and another person feels their right to drive faster is prohibited. 
• Domestic violence is often caused by refusing to yield personal "rights." 
• A teacher was brutally assaulted after she took away a student's computer toy.
• People get infuriated when someone cuts in line.

What would happen if instead of demanding OUR rights, we put others first? Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 I know that goes against human nature but I think it would solve many problems. 

Who Has Control?

 

“...Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16

I came across this verse in my daily Bible reading and it caught my attention. The context is part of the curse God pronounced on Adam and Eve for their disobedience. The word “desire” literally “to usurp authority.” God designed man to be the leader in the home. The desire for dominance (either spouse) in a marriage is part of our fallen nature. 

But the desire for control is not only seen in marriages but in many areas of our culture. We see it on playgrounds. Children trying to dominate other children. It's evident on the job. Both political parties struggle for control of Congress. Certain people in the church try to dominant how they think the church should be. Pastors try to force their agenda on the church. And ultimately, we try to control our own lives.

Control is not essentially wrong. Without control (authority) there would be chaos. Where it becomes wrong is when we try to force our agenda or ideas on others. The problem comes when one party misuses its authority. The Bible is clear that wives are under the authority of her husband Ephesians 5:23 but that does not give him the right to be domineering.

When dealing with control/authority, we must not forget that we should all submit to the ultimate authority – Jesus Christ. James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God...: 

I Will Bow My Knee

 

I am sure that most of us are familiar with athletes kneeling during the playing of our national anthem. This act has been debated on both sides of the issue. Those who support these athletes say it is part of a silent protest against racial inequality and injustice. The other side says it is alright to protest against these issues but kneeling when everyone else is standing shows disrespect for our nation.

No matter what side of this act you support; there is a day coming when everyone will knee. No matter what you believe about Jesus Christ; the Bible says He is coming back to this world to judge all mankind. And He returns every person, living and dead, will acknowledge His Deity and Lordship.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

It is not a matter of choice. Believers and non-believers alike will knee and confess Him as Lord.

Often, you get asked the question, where do you live. The person asking the question, is referring to what state, city or physical address you live at. Even homeless people live somewhere. 

As a Christ follower, I believe that all of life should be centered around a relationship with Jesus Christ. For He is our life.

Allow me to ask you that question. Where do you live? I am not asking for a physical location but we all live in one of three places.

There are three approaches to life with God: All In; All Out; and, in the middle, between those, a third approach. This third approach is actually a range—it encompasses every approach between the two extremes. Many of us take the third approach. I mean, we do believe life is better with God—but, our belief is more theoretical than not.

Jesus calls takers of the third approach “lukewarm,” and is particularly frustrated by us: “because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16). 

We third-approachers  mistakenly presume we’re doing okay faith-wise—not as well as we could maybe, but okay nonetheless. Therefore, Jesus’ words are startling and challenging—and force us to consider All In.

So, what does All In require? The world tells us, too much. But, that’s wrong. It doesn’t require more than we can give. It requires total surrender and obedience. But our Creator, designed us with the capacity and ability to be all in.

He understands our lives. He knows what he’s asking. All In doesn’t require we be perfect; we couldn’t.

Be Still - Part Two

                                    He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; Psalm 46:10

In my last post, we considered the concept of "being still" and saw it meant 'to lower your hands,' to quit striving in your own strength in an attempt to know God.

The Bible uses two different words that are translated "know" into English. The first word means to come to an intellectual understanding. I can truthfully say, "I know Donald Trump." That is to say, I would recognize him if he came into a room and this is the same word found in our text. 

But I don't know him in a relational setting. I don't know his likes or dislikes. I don't understand him personally. In Genesis 4:1, it tells us that Adam knew Eve and she conceived a child. The writer choose the Hebrew word meaning an intimate relationship and this is the same word used in our text. 

Many people know God intellectually but few know Him in an intimate relationship. Knowing God intimately requires"being still" in the sense we need to totally surrender all OUR efforts and struggles to know Him. 

Find a quiet place and just allow Him to reveal Himself to you.