We must seek Jesus with everything that we have. I don't think in this culture it is necessarily materialistic things. I think we have so much junk that we honestly don't value very much of it. In my life personally I don't think I have idols of anything materialistic that I have. (I want to be careful saying that because I don't want to deceive or blind myself) But over all I believe the main thing that strikes me when I read the verse Luke 14:33 "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has CANNOT be my disciple."
What? Jesus! Come on man.. Jesus I can't have anything? You really want me to deny everything and have nothing but to follow you? That is a little over the top don't you think?
We think this way. I think this way. I don't want to put Christianity into some cute little feel good religion thing, as we have done in the American culture all too often.
Jesus demands everything we have. I am going to kind of use and example of something that Dana Candler said the other day in relation to Jesus being the Husband coming for His bride.
The example was the first and greatest commandment is to Love the Lord your God will all your mind, soul, heart.. strength right?
She said that normally we get almost offended sometimes like.. God is selfish or something. That is a very demanding thing to ask. But think of it this way.
(I think i may have blogged on this a little before) But if you are going to get married, and your spouse tells you that they only want .. ehh 20% of your love. They say.. you can do whatever else you want with the other percent. You can love someone else.. another man or woman. Or something. I only demand 20% of the full capacity of your love. Is that okay sweetie? Do we have a deal?
I hope I just got that point across to you. Like we would feel "genuinely unwanted" if that is what Jesus asked of us. Would we feel special? Would this Love be the deep all consuming fire that it is if it didn't require EVERYTHING.
In the same way that Jesus requires all of our heart soul mind and strength he requires all of us.
Oh that we would be a people to quickly deny ourselves of our wants and desires and to seek the Lord and His will for our lives above all things.
So going back to the Verse about giving up everything to be Jesus's disciple.
If Jesus isn't worthy of giving up our "everything" then he wouldn't be worthy. If he only required us to lay down part of our lives to follow him WHAT is the point?
So now the call to obedience. I believe being obedient to the Lord is what I have been convicted of lately.
That is my personal conviction. I want to please God. I want to follow the will He has for my life as closely as I can that way I don't miss the things and tasks He has planned for me.
I feel as though.. God is preparing me for something, and that if I miss the things that he is calling me to do, then I will miss the end goal.
This is true for EVERYONE. God has a plan and specifically designed and created each and every one of us to be a part of advancing His kingdom.
When I am talking about this Obedience business.. I am not that excited about it. haha It isn't going to be glamorous. I don't think I am going to be tested by the Lord where I will be called to do something great and see an immediate fruit or harvest from it.
God will begin to test me in small ways. In the little things of life. Depending on how I respond to what I am being called to do will determine in the end if I am going to have the opportunity that I have been essentially training for.
I just thought of a soccer season while writing that. It's like this. You have practices, games, and then BIG games.
Practices. Going to practice is how you cultivate discipline. Basically our practice is getting into the Word. Spending time with the LORD. God time. Practice is meant to PREPARE you for the Games.
So then Games come.. this is the little stuff that God is calling you to be obedient in. I don't have any specific examples. Pray about it if you want to know what your games look like and let the Holy Spirit speak for you. The Game is when we have the opportunity to be obedient. Its at this moment when we have been called by the Coach. We have heard the Lords voice. He has called us to go into the game to do something. A specific position. Do we go in and complete the task or not?
Hearing the coach (God) and then actually listening and responding to that is different.
I believe we can distinguish the times in our lives that are like the Games when we have that "feeling".. you know? the one where you feel like you need to do something? At that moment.. this thing you feel God is calling you to may be silly or stupid or pointless but we have a decision to make. Will we respond and be obedient to the voice of the Lord?
You decide.. (Keep in mind God is preparing you for something.. Testing you to see how you preform! Just like a coach would track how well you do in completing what he is calling you to do on the field.)
Now.. comes the Championship game. This is the big test of Obedience .. the thing that you will see immediate fruit for! You have been preparing yourself for this. You weren't prepared before all of the practices and games. If you didn't push through those then there is no way you would have even made it to the Opportunity that the Lord has presented you with!
God has been tracking how you preformed in the games.. hard work in the practices. (Keep in mind also that when you are going to a championship game.. none of the steps stop. They continue to build on each other. You don't stop practicing once you start playing games..)
Same thing.. you must continue to spend time with the Lord every day. The little Stuff! Hear the voice of the Lord! You won't be able to be obedient if you don't give him an opportunity to speak to you!
Anyway.. back to the Championship game. You have been preparing for this. You have been intentional with the Games .. you have been expectant to be there!
That should be motivation for us! When we don't want to be obedient keep in mind you are working towards something! So my point is.. be expectant. Say this to God, "I don't want to do this right now, but even though I don't see the point of it.. I will trust in you God because you have a plan for me, and I will press on to meet the time when you are calling me to something great."
God is calling us to some great things. great great things. We should want them to be greater things than we could imagine! Let's not limit the God of the ages. He can do the impossible through us! How lucky are we.
Anyway.. stay the course! BE obedient in the small things that way the Lord can trust us to be obedient in the big things.
I want to be obedient. I want to hear God's voice and respond quickly.
I was reading today the story of Christmas a little bit. Joseph was told to flee with Jesus and Mary to go to Egypt to escape Herod.
IF JOSEPH HADN'T DONE WHAT GOD WANTED HIM TO DO. WHAT GOD HAD TOLD HIM TO DO AND QUICKLY.. THEN THE LONG AWAITED MESSIAH WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED.
What? I mean I am sure God would have done something about it.. or I don't even know! What if Jesus had been KILLED? Would God have sent him again?
We must be quick to hear the word of the Lord and act on it. The rest of our lives might look dramatically different just by missing something the Lord was speaking to us.
Deny ourselves of everything for the sake of the Lamb. He is worthy.
Hear the Lord's voice and act on it quickly.
John 10:27 "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
I want Jesus to know me. I want to know Jesus. I want to follow Jesus.
Jesus wants to know you, and he wants you to follow him!
That's all
-Mali
