FAITHdare #7: Revisited

"God is so immense! I think this characteristic of God is highlighted during the years following a person's conversion to Jesus. The changes that I needed in my character, the repairs in habits and attitudes were large, to say the least. But God won't settle for anything less than the best for each of His followers and is so relentless in completing the wonderful work He has begun in each of His people. Once again, He is able to simultaneously bring about the necessary changes in each Christian. How overwhelming this responsibility would be to the most capable human being, but not to our Savior. He does it all in stride and does it perfectly! Blessed be the name of the Lord!"

My dad, a man of incredible faith, wrote the above words about a year and a half ago. In the recent weeks, as I have been working through the FAITHdare challenges centering on idols, I have been so encouraged by his line, "But God won't settle for anything less than the best for each of His followers and is so relentless in completing the wonderful work He has begun in each of His people." The idea that God is working on ME even when I have given up on ME is so heartening. We serve a God who is RELENTLESSLY pursuing and changing us...to the point where He will not let us get comfortable where we are! If you are being challenged in painful ways, I pray that this is an encouraging word to you, for "I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns" (Phil. 1:6, NLT).

I love the book of Hosea. It is the beautiful account of a jealous husband who relentlessly pursues his wife, loving her in spite of herself--A metaphor for the way God loves His people. The book also spends a lot of time talking about idols, and I learned something important from the first couple of chapters of Hosea this week. Part of letting go is finding complete satisfaction in relationship with Jesus. He longs to fulfill my deepest longings! Problem is, most of the time I don't let Him! I turn to other things or people for a "quick high" before even considering the very source of my desire. The adulterous wife described in Hosea is consumed by gifts, forgetting that the gifts do not love her like the Giver does! There is so much freedom in relinquishing idols for the one true God. He loves us so much more than the little gods ever could!

What have you been thinking about this week?

FAITHdare #7: Walking Dead

A Roman emperor reigning not long after Jesus lived said, "A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions." It seems this generation is not alone in its worship of success and security. Can you walk down the street without being plagued by the claws of ambition? The instruction starts early in life..."Be the best you can be. Work hard and you can have anything and everything you want!" Status and fame are revered and upheld, and they are hard to ignore in a world where everyone seems to be worshiping them. Even the church has been tainted by the idol of ambition. Who has the best attendance numbers? How many people are you bringing in on Sunday morning? Who has the most creative programs, the most attractive buildings? On and on the ambition train flies...

Then we come to the words of Jesus: "...Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Basically, if you follow, you can consider yourself dead. Dead to ambition. Dead to success. Dead to fame. Dead even to security. Can we read this passage and come away thinking we can follow Jesus without giving up anything?

I love reading about the calling of the disciples, and yet I am always baffled. Jesus issues the call: "Follow me!" and they go. That's it. No, "wait just one minute while I finish up" or "let me just tie things up here." They just go. It scares me to think of what I would have done in the same situation. Would I have held onto my fishing net and turned my back? What am I doing today, as He says, "Follow me"?

After reading the words of Jesus in Luke 14, we cannot say "yes" and then make excuses. He leaves no room for excuses. He demands undivided hearts, and total surrender. Surrender to new plans and dreams, a future that we do not get to decide.

I am a dreamer, so the whole ambition thing was never hard for me to jump into. I loved all the career advising sessions in high school. The idea that I could do anything I set my mind to was so thrilling to me. Even more thrilling was the idea that I could do anything I set my mind to AND be successful in the process. God has had to rip my dreams off of His throne more times than I can probably even count. I have made excuses; I have rationalized. The reality is, Jesus does not promise us worldly success and security.

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell" (Mt. 10:28). We cherish security in this country. We cling to it because, to be honest, we're afraid of death. That's really the worst we can dream up, isn't it? So why are WE, followers of Jesus, clinging to security? Jesus conquered death on the cross!

Friends, is Jesus Sovereign Lord over your life? If you have said "yes" to the call of Jesus, you have given up the right to determine what your life looks like. You have given up the right to success and fame and security. You are really a dead man walking. Are you still clinging to your old skin?

FAITHdare #7:
1) Spend disciplined time with God examining your heart. Are you clinging to your own ambition?
2) As God convicts you and calls you to action, respond with obedience!
3) Please share your journey with the rest of us.

Suggested scripture passages:
John 21:15-23
1 Cor. 6:19-20, 8:5-6
Phil. 2:1-18
Mt. 10:39, 13:44-46, 16:25
Romans 6:13, 8:35-39, 12:1-2
2 Cor. 4:8-11, 12:9-10