Thursday, March 09, 2017
Jesus calls us to radically live... exactly as we want
Following Jesus is not determined by how I want to live, but how he wants me to live.
Jesus said if we want to follow him, we need to deny ourselves first.
Baptism is described as a death.
When we are crucified with Christ, we no longer live but Christ lives in us.
When Jesus told people to follow him, that journey ended on a cross -- a place of death.
But I am not sure we Christians really believe this applies to us.
Listen to some of our questions...
How much do I have to give?
How often do I have to go to church?
Listen to how we insist on our rights ... to worship like we prefer, to marry whoever we want, to use our money the way we want, to use alcohol the way we want.
Why to listen to some of us, it is amazing that the demands of Jesus happen to exactly fit the way we want to live.
The Bible speaks of transforming out minds and not being conformed to the world. We are to be formed into the image of Christ. Dying with Jesus in baptism leads us to a new life.
We work to convince ourselves that the Bible fits our preferences. We try to make it say what it does not say, or assert that the things we don't like were surely for people a long time ago in a different place.
Scripture speaks of us as foreigners and aliens who are citizens of a heavenly country. We seem afraid to be different than our culture and in fact convince ourselves that Jesus does after all want us to live in ways that do not offend our culture.
Does Jesus expect us to radically alter our lives to follow him?
If there is never one thing in my life that I have to change for Jesus, am I really serious about following him? Or am I really wanting him to follow me?
I get it. I've been there. To look at Jesus and then at your life and to change for him no matter what rather than try to convince yourself and others it is OK to go on living the way you have been.
So thanks to my brothers and sisters that are faith fighters. Those of you who are changing and being formed into holy children of God.
No excuses, no looking for loopholes... just fighting to be who God called you to be.
So God you know it is hard to follow your Son. There are so many things we want to do that we know we should let go of -- and so many things we do not want to do that you call us to. Help us never to cheapen your grace or try to conform you to our image.
Jesus said if we want to follow him, we need to deny ourselves first.
Baptism is described as a death.
When we are crucified with Christ, we no longer live but Christ lives in us.
When Jesus told people to follow him, that journey ended on a cross -- a place of death.
But I am not sure we Christians really believe this applies to us.
Listen to some of our questions...
How much do I have to give?
How often do I have to go to church?
Listen to how we insist on our rights ... to worship like we prefer, to marry whoever we want, to use our money the way we want, to use alcohol the way we want.
Why to listen to some of us, it is amazing that the demands of Jesus happen to exactly fit the way we want to live.
The Bible speaks of transforming out minds and not being conformed to the world. We are to be formed into the image of Christ. Dying with Jesus in baptism leads us to a new life.
We work to convince ourselves that the Bible fits our preferences. We try to make it say what it does not say, or assert that the things we don't like were surely for people a long time ago in a different place.
Scripture speaks of us as foreigners and aliens who are citizens of a heavenly country. We seem afraid to be different than our culture and in fact convince ourselves that Jesus does after all want us to live in ways that do not offend our culture.
Does Jesus expect us to radically alter our lives to follow him?
If there is never one thing in my life that I have to change for Jesus, am I really serious about following him? Or am I really wanting him to follow me?
I get it. I've been there. To look at Jesus and then at your life and to change for him no matter what rather than try to convince yourself and others it is OK to go on living the way you have been.
So thanks to my brothers and sisters that are faith fighters. Those of you who are changing and being formed into holy children of God.
No excuses, no looking for loopholes... just fighting to be who God called you to be.
So God you know it is hard to follow your Son. There are so many things we want to do that we know we should let go of -- and so many things we do not want to do that you call us to. Help us never to cheapen your grace or try to conform you to our image.
