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Then Jesus called the crowd to him, along with his followers. He said, “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow me. Mark 8:34 (NCV)
It’s one of the ultimate dichotomies of the Christian life. Jesus taught on several occasions that if we want to be greatest we must be least; if we want to be strong in our faith we must be as a child; if we want to see God work in mighty ways we need to give up trying in our own power.
I like how the New Century Version translates Jesus’ words in Mark 8. “If people want to follow me, they must give up the things they want.” His words seem contradictory at first glance. Doesn’t God tell us in the Old Testament that if we obey his law he will provide for us? Doesn’t Jesus himself tell us in other places that if we obey him he will be with us always and give us the desires of our heart? Don’t the other New Testament authors challenge us to live Godly lives so we can see him working in our lives?
So what gives? What is Jesus trying to tell us about getting the things we want and/or need?
What Jesus is telling us here is to take a close look at the difference between what the world provides for us and what he can provide for us.
We all want to be accepted and respected. But the world’s standards for acceptance are based on our abilities, our looks, our status, our performance. None of these matter to Jesus. His acceptance of you has nothing to do with your looks, your body shape, your report cards, or the number of awards hanging on your wall. He accepts you because he loves you. You can do nothing to gain more of his acceptance.
We seek security. Security in most people’s minds is measured by the amount of money we have in our bank account, the size of our retirement fund, the size of our house and the amount of our toys. In our struggling economy we’re learning the hard way that money offers no security. Retirement accounts have been wiped out. Once secure careers have ended abruptly. Security doesn’t come from money. Jesus says, you want security? Look at my track record. I’m the same today as I was yesterday. I’ll be the same tomorrow. You can trust me.
We want love. Love, for many people is defined by relationships with other people. We fall into love because love makes us feel accepted. Love gives us security. Love encourages us to be all we think we want to be. But all too often we realize that love relationships aren’t secure. All too often relationships lead to feelings of rejection rather than acceptance. Once again the things we ‘want’ slip from our grasp. Once again Jesus says, “I’ll love you. Your mistakes won’t make me reject you. Even if you are unfaithful to me and cheat on me, I’ll still be here when you come back. There is nothing you can do to make me love you more than I already do. There is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.
Acceptance. Security. Love. Give up seeking these things that you work so hard to find. You may find them for a season here on earth, but they will fail you. When you are willing to give up seeking for the things you want and turn to Jesus he will bring them into our life.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus giving up to receive is hard. I seek comfort in so many things that don’t last. Help me to let go of my desires so that you can give me the things I strive to have in my life. Amen.
He did this so that we could be the kind of people the law correctly wants us to be. Now we do not live following our sinful selves, but we live following the Spirit. Romans 8:4 (NCV)
I don’t understand genetics. I’m not sure any of us do, but some understand far more than I do about what makes a person the way he/she is. For example, how is it that two people, born of the same parents can be different as night and day in personality, looks, and body shape/size? Or, how is it that a child, separated from parents at birth will have many of the same traits, likes and dislikes at their parents even though they have never ever seen them? These are just a few of the amazing things about how we are put together as human beings.
What’s even more amazing is how we can be ‘put together’ in Christ. We are born into a human body. We are influenced by our surroundings in more ways than we can imagine. The older we get, the more the effects of our past can dictate who we are and how we react to things in our environment.
Jesus came to give each of us a new start in life. Because of his grace and forgiveness we no longer need to be imprisoned by the things that happened along the journey of life.
“But,” you may say, “You don’t understand. I was abused as a child.”
“I know but” you may say, “my parents divorced [died, abandoned me, were drug addicts, are in prison,]. So that’s why I am the way I am.”
I won’t minimize the fact that life experiences have a huge impact on us. We are wounded, bruised and scarred by a whole variety of things. With Jesus in our lives those things that once were destructive influences on our ability to live free can be used for the glory of God. Because of Jesus we don’t need to walk as wounded any longer. That’s what grace is about. That’s what mercy is about. That’s what forgiveness is about.
Jesus Christ is well aware of your past. He sees the scars. He saw the abuse. He knows the feeling of being rejected. He came to free you from the effects of all the bad stuff that’s happened in your past. We no longer need to live the way we once did. God’s Spirit in us gives us new life through Christ. God’s Holy Spirit in us allows us to use the struggles of our past to strengthen those who are hurting.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, my past continues to haunt me. I see myself becoming the very type of person I don’t want to be. I relive the abuse of my past on a daily basis. Forgive me once and for all for the mistakes I’ve made. Free me through your grace to leave the old life behind and live the new life you have prepared for me. Amen.
So do not lose the courage you had in the past, which has a great reward. Hebrews 10:35 (NCV)
You started out strong enough. You went to church and a small group Bible Study. Maybe you even had one in your home and you were the leader. As a young person you had aspirations of being in the ministry or even being a missionary to some far off culture. You had visions of winning entire villages to Jesus Christ.
Then reality hit, and it hit hard. You never saw that divorce coming. If only you’d studied harder in high school, maybe your grades would have allowed you to get into college. Your health issues kept you from attaining many of the dreams you had at one time. You wonder what happened to your spouse. He/she once held the same values, the same fire you had for ministry but now, it’s the one hindrance in an otherwise great relationship and it’s keeping you from feeling fulfilled and squashing your ability to use your gifts.
There are those that will tell you that the level of your ability to ‘live for Christ’ is a measuring stick of your love for him. Often, it’s the other way around. The realization of our weaknesses and failures is proof of our love for Christ. That may seem like backwards thinking, but the more we desire to live for Jesus, the more His Spirit will show us areas that need change…and the more the enemy will try to send us on huge guilt trips.
Jesus shows us where we can change. Satan reminds us change is impossible. Jesus gently calls us to him. Satan screams accusations. Jesus calls to you through the darkness. Satan reminds you of the dangers lurking in the dark.
When you feel misunderstood, Jesus understands. When you feel attacked, Jesus sends endurance and safety. When you feel pressured to give in, Jesus sends encouragement to press on. “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged.” Isaiah 42:3 (NLT)
Take courage pilgrim. While we walk this Wilderness Road complete with rocks and the threat of attack from the bluffs on either side of us, we have one who walks with us. He knows the way. He is ready to defend, encourage and protect. He’s ready to walk with us all the way. When we reach the end; when endure this road we’ve travelled; victory will be ours and the reward great!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I need your strength today to be strong. My own fear of failure and the enemies attack have done their work to keep me defeated. Empower me today to be strong through your Holy Spirit. Amen.
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT)
If you have ever been arrested and charged in a criminal case, or suspected of a crime that you did or didn’t commit, or have struggled with some addiction or another you know how your past can haunt you.
Maybe you are a believer who has gone through divorce. Perhaps, as a young person you made some horrible mistake. You may have failed a couple times on business ventures that you were sure would be successful and, instead of making money, you lost money and not only your own, but your investors, the people that trusted you with their money.
The enemy loves to bring up your past. He loves to remind you of your failures and your sins. He uses your past to cause doubt or worry. He uses your past to keep you from looking to the future because he knows that as long as he can get you to dwell on the past he can rob you of fulfilling your dreams or using the gifts God has given you.
The Big Lie he uses to threaten your future is that ‘YOUR PAST DISQUALIFIES YOU FROM BEING ALL GOD HAD PLANNED FOR YOU. Remember, he loves to quote scripture. So he may remind you that ‘All things work together for good to those who love God’ (a slight rephrasing of Romans 8:28). Then he’ll go on to remind you that your disobedience proves you don’t love God. Therefore no good can come from your life. Focusing on our past handcuffs our ability to have vision for the future.
What the enemy doesn’t want you to do is to look at the type of people God used for mighty things in the Bible. Adam and Eve lied. Abraham slept with his wife’s servant. David was a murderer, an adulterer, a conniver and, as a parent he failed to instill discipline in his children. All throughout the Bible God has used people with questionable pasts to fulfill his Kingdom work.
God’s ways are completely opposite of our ways. We look for people with NO SCARS and make them leaders; God looks for people WITH SCARS and makes them leaders. When God formed you in the womb of your mother he saw your entire life. He knew your victories. He knew your failures. He knew if you’d be divorced, an addict, an abusive or absentee parent or a child molester. Still, he created you and loved you enough to offer you forgiveness, hope for the future and eternal life with him.
2 Corinthians 1:4 teaches us that the very things you struggle with are things God can use or comfort and encourage others. The best counselors in rehabilitation centers are those who have gone through addictions. The best grief counselors are those that have lost loved ones. The best people to help someone who has suffered the devastation of abortion are those who have had an abortion themselves.
What is your loss? What mistakes have you made? What have you learned from those mistakes? How can you use them to help others in the same situation? As Christ followers we have the answers to the problems people are going through. Don’t let your past keep you from giving others a future.
Truth Statement: The struggles of your past empower you to encourage those who are struggling.
PRAYER: Father God, it amazes me to think that you knew all my mistakes before they happened. What’s even more amazing is that you want to use me in spite of myself! Forgive me for my past. Empower me to use the lessons of my past to encourage others. Keep me from believing the lies of the enemy. In Jesus name, Amen.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. John 15:19
Several years ago I had to take some classes at a university about 100 miles from home. A friend of a friend of mine had parents that lived just outside the city the university was in. They lived in a large house in the country and, through a weird set of circumstances, offered to let me rent a room for the couple of weeks that I’d be there.
The couple lived on a hobby farm in the country. They were very kind to me, and fed me every day. They charged me very little for a great room. It was a great situation for me except for one thing. I was miserable the whole time I was there. My mindset had absolutely nothing to do with the host family or the accommodations or the food. They did everything they needed to do to make me comfortable.
The problem was all on my part. I never felt at ease in their home so even though they told me to make myself at home it felt strange to be walking around in someone else’s home. Also, I was lonely. I missed familiar faces. I missed my family. I couldn’t get over the feeling that I just didn’t belong.
I think of that time in my life every once in awhile. I think about how there are many things in this world that make us, as Christ-followers, feel lonely. People can make us feel lonely when they have expectations for us that we can’t live up to. Try as we might to please them, to fit in or to build a relationship with them, it’s not going to happen.
Tragedy can make us feel lonely too. We struggle to cope with illness or the death of a loved one or the reality that old-age has set in. We see our children struggle and can’t reach out to them like we’d once hoped. We watch our love relationships grow cool or even die. Religion can make us feel lonely too, even though it’s the one thing that should comfort us. Sometimes we can feel lonely and not even really know why. It can just be a longing for comfort and a search for a place to find it. Loneliness comes when we feel like we don’t belong.
Jesus knew we’d be lonely. He warned us about that. As long as we are in this world we’ll be lonely. We’ll feel out of place. We’ll be misunderstood, judged, criticized and feel the pain of life’s struggles. The reason for that is that we aren’t home.
When I was staying with that family I had every reason to be comfortable, but I wasn’t home. It wasn’t going to happen. In the same way, as long as we are here on earth we will always have a sense of longing for ‘home’. Jesus promises us that while we are here in this foreign land he will comfort us. He promises there will be rough spots along the road but all of it will be worth it when we finally come home to him.
PRAYER: Father God. There are so many times I feel out of place in this world. People judge me for my beliefs. They question the way I live. They don’t seem to understand how I feel. There are times I just don’t feel like I belong. Even when things are going well I have a longing for home. Comfort me with your Spirit during the rough spots in the journey. Strengthen me for the road ahead until I’m able to join you in my real home. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 