Now you may be ready to close down this page and go off onto other areas of social network, but stick with me for a little longer. Everyone knows that one famous verse in John chapter 3. You know, the 16th verse? Do me a favor and recite it to yourself real quick and think about its meaning. Christ so loves us, and He died for us so that we can have eternal life. One of my favorite verses, don't get me wrong. So much encouragement and promise are locked into those 26 words (depending on the version).
But one thing I do notice is that people usually tend to ignore the companion verses that are found in other areas of the gospel. Such as Luke 9:23 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Yes, that verse is targeted to you just as much as John 3:16 is. But maybe there is a reason that Luke 9:23 doesn't seem to make it to the encouraging Bible verse page or the social networking sites. My guess? It makes us too uncomfortable.
We are creatures of comfort, we try and make anything and everything more comfortable to ourselves. We like to lay around the house, we like to eat as much ice cream as we can stomach, and we like to stay inside our protective shell as much as possible. Christianity is so much fun when all it entails is church pot-lucks and youth group events. But when the whole suffering part gets involved, most "Christians" tend to wither out and move to the back burner. "Well, it was fun when it was easy, but this whole suffering thing just isn't worth it to me. I worked hard for that money, I want a (insert whatever ridiculous unnecessary device here)."
It is easy to follow (or at least think you are following) Jesus when life is easy, when it requires nothing of you. But when it is just so simple, a reconsideration of your commitment to Jesus may be in order. Life as a Christian begins at death. Jesus doesn't say: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must make their money and keep 90% of it and then halfway tithe, and they must be certain that they have everything they want before giving to the poor, oh and while you're at it, make sure to tailor God into a comfortable, non-threatening God, that fits your needs and doesn't challenge you."
Instead, He tells us to die. Yeah, things just got serious. Not only to die, but to carry a cross and suffer. Now I am not telling you that if you aren't suffering that you aren't a Christian, but I am saying that sometimes we are lulled into a mindset of "me me me", and the Christian mindset of "What can I do for Jesus, my Neighbors and my Enemies" is thrown right out the window.
I am challenging you to take the spotlight off of yourself. To stop asking what God can do for you, and start asking God what you can do for Him. Take up your cross, and follow Him to Calvary. We know that to be Jesus' disciples, His servants, are going to be with Him wherever He goes, die to themselves (John 12:26). This may seem like an unfair exchange, but following Christ is worth our own death, and so much more. His love, His promises, and His strength resonate within those who surrender it all to Him. Look into your following of Christ, are you following Him to the door, or are you going all the way to Golgotha?
Father,
I thank you for every one of the people who read these words. It is my prayer that you would be with them as they join to the body of Christ. That everything in their lives would reflect Your Son. That they would genuinely follow you, for the joy of suffering, for the joy of following the Lord, and for the joy of Life with You. And that this following would lead them to change the world, wherever they are. I pray for our growth in Your Word, and growth in genuine faith, faith that moves the mountains. Keep us from evil, rid us of all temptation, and save us from ourselves.
Amen
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