The below is from 1930, a letter from C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves
"We read of spiritual efforts, and our imagination makes us believe that, because we enjoy the idea of doing them, we have done them. I am appalled to see how much of the change which I thought I had undergone lately was only imaginary. The real work seems still to be done. It is so fatally easy to confuse and aesthetic appreciation of the spiritual life with the life itself--to dream that you have walked, washed, and dressed, & then to find yourself still in bed."
Commentary: I am a big dreamer as are lots of people in the kingdom of God. The problem of course is that so much gets discussed and maybe even put down on paper. The result is that lots gets solved, fixed, and done for God and others (including myself) that is nothing more than smoke, mirrors, and illusion. In short, its all mental gymnastics and happy discussion. Is it not time to go beyond all this useless day-dreaming, throw in all our chips and go do the radical Jesus living that we have all talked of for so long? It is risky, it is scary, you will meet opposition, you will be ridiculed, etc. But someone has to go all in. It has to be me and it has to be you. Let's get out of bed and take the plunge for Him. And remember what was said of Aslan in another writing of Lewis: He's not safe, but He is good.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Living Death: Who will die to Heal the Brokenness of others?
In the famous poem "Who Am I" quoted below I am reminded of one fact that is true in every person I meet. It is a truth that gives me comfort, hope, and the absence of all fear when dealing with all people. In spite of all the fronting and gaming and projecting that people may give us-- there is a life of brokenness (recognized or not) underneath the surface in all people that we meet. There are questions, doubts, insecurities . . . perhaps walls, fears, anxieties, regrets, real struggles and so much more. So we hide from community lest we be discovered. In being discovered is the fear of not being loved and perhaps rejected. Thus we play the game of life which hopes to convince others that we are better than we really are.
And the cool thing is that this is where the gospel can come in with full force and power. The holidays are upon us now and with that is the reminder that Jesus has come not to break the bruised reed nor to put out the dimly burning candle. After all, if I am honest that is often what I feel like-- someone on the brink of breaking, a man whose candle seems to be burning dimly and nearly extinguished. But Jesus came for me and you and others-- to restore, to heal, to brighten our lives. He died for this. And if we are to see this same healing and brightening in the lives of others we must face the question of Jesus: ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR OTHERS like he did? What Bonhoeffer said is absolutely true: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." It is the only forward for us, for the churches, for the people of God. Who will answer the call with a firm: "Yes, I will die for others around me so that they can be healed?" It is the only way to bring people into an encounter with the resurrected Jesus and His power.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Who Am I? (written in Tegel Prison)
Who am I? They often tell me I stepped from my cell's confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
equally, smilingly, proudly
Like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which others tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness
Tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? a hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already acheived?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou Knowest, O God, I am Thine!
And the cool thing is that this is where the gospel can come in with full force and power. The holidays are upon us now and with that is the reminder that Jesus has come not to break the bruised reed nor to put out the dimly burning candle. After all, if I am honest that is often what I feel like-- someone on the brink of breaking, a man whose candle seems to be burning dimly and nearly extinguished. But Jesus came for me and you and others-- to restore, to heal, to brighten our lives. He died for this. And if we are to see this same healing and brightening in the lives of others we must face the question of Jesus: ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR OTHERS like he did? What Bonhoeffer said is absolutely true: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." It is the only forward for us, for the churches, for the people of God. Who will answer the call with a firm: "Yes, I will die for others around me so that they can be healed?" It is the only way to bring people into an encounter with the resurrected Jesus and His power.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Who Am I? (written in Tegel Prison)
Who am I? They often tell me I stepped from my cell's confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly
Like a squire from his country-house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
equally, smilingly, proudly
Like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which others tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness
Tossing in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?
Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? a hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already acheived?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou Knowest, O God, I am Thine!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
C.S. Lewis Teaches Us How to Avoid God
Taken from C.S. Lewis "The Seeing Eye" in Christian Reflections
"The avoiding, in many times and places, has proved so difficult that a very large part of the human race failed to achieve it. But in our own time and place it is extremely easy. Avoid silence, avoid solitude, avoid any train of thought that leads off the beaten track. Concentrate on money, sex, status, health and (above all) on your own grievances. Keep the radio on. Live in the crowd. Use plenty of sedation. If you must read books, select them very carefully. But you'd be safer to stick to the papers. You'll find the advertisements helpful; especially those with a sexy or a snobbish appeal."
Commentary: Perhaps we could add a few other suggestions for how to avoid God in the present days of the 21st Century. Below are 10 additional ways to try and keep God at bay. Add your own. (In addition, many of the things below are also helpful in killing relationships).
1. Lose yourself on facebook and keep on the internet as much as possible
2. Keep the TV on as much as you possibly can
3. In fact, the more technology you can keep active in your life the better: Even texting as much as possible will do the trick. To help kill relationships text others at the same time you are sitting and talking with others.
4. Work as many hours as possible and burn the candle at both ends as much as possible. Do you seriously believe that God can give to you even in your sleep?
5. Sacrifice as much as possible to ensure your kids get good experience in their sports activities. Foregoing Christian fellowship for the sake of sports is no problem. Everyone else is doing it.
6. Obsess over any kind of hobby such as fantasy sports or other things.
7. Keep as much entertainment going in your life as is humanly possible
8. Think on the will of God as little as possible, read the Bible and pray as little as possible. If you do these things God may creep in and turn your world in a direction where He becomes primary.
9. Keep your social standing before others as high as possible. Compromising with the world helps here.
10. Take no risks, take no chances. Never put yourself in a position of vulnerability where you might fail or be broken. In short, the less you attempt to do for God or others the better.
"The avoiding, in many times and places, has proved so difficult that a very large part of the human race failed to achieve it. But in our own time and place it is extremely easy. Avoid silence, avoid solitude, avoid any train of thought that leads off the beaten track. Concentrate on money, sex, status, health and (above all) on your own grievances. Keep the radio on. Live in the crowd. Use plenty of sedation. If you must read books, select them very carefully. But you'd be safer to stick to the papers. You'll find the advertisements helpful; especially those with a sexy or a snobbish appeal."
Commentary: Perhaps we could add a few other suggestions for how to avoid God in the present days of the 21st Century. Below are 10 additional ways to try and keep God at bay. Add your own. (In addition, many of the things below are also helpful in killing relationships).
1. Lose yourself on facebook and keep on the internet as much as possible
2. Keep the TV on as much as you possibly can
3. In fact, the more technology you can keep active in your life the better: Even texting as much as possible will do the trick. To help kill relationships text others at the same time you are sitting and talking with others.
4. Work as many hours as possible and burn the candle at both ends as much as possible. Do you seriously believe that God can give to you even in your sleep?
5. Sacrifice as much as possible to ensure your kids get good experience in their sports activities. Foregoing Christian fellowship for the sake of sports is no problem. Everyone else is doing it.
6. Obsess over any kind of hobby such as fantasy sports or other things.
7. Keep as much entertainment going in your life as is humanly possible
8. Think on the will of God as little as possible, read the Bible and pray as little as possible. If you do these things God may creep in and turn your world in a direction where He becomes primary.
9. Keep your social standing before others as high as possible. Compromising with the world helps here.
10. Take no risks, take no chances. Never put yourself in a position of vulnerability where you might fail or be broken. In short, the less you attempt to do for God or others the better.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Shooting at the Hero in the Story- Bonhoeffer on Jeremiah
The following is taken from Eric Metaxas's book on Bonhoeffer and tells about Bonnie's famous Jeremiah sermon. It is a good reminder that once we are purchased by God we are His to do with whatever He wants, regardless of human comforts, prejudices, what others think, what we think, etc. . . so no matter what you are going through just now take courage from the below.
"The picture that Bonhoeffer painted of Jeremiah was one of unrelieved gloom and drama. God was after him, and he could not escape. Bonhoeffer referred to the 'arrow of the Almighty' striking down its 'hunted game.' But who was the 'hunted game?' It was Jeremiah! But why was God shooting the hero of the story? . . . Jeremiah is 'a prisoner and he has to follow. His path is prescribed. It is the path of the man whom God will not let go, who will never be rid of God.' The sermon began to get seriously depressing. What was the young preacher getting at? Perhaps he was reading too many books. A little fresh air and fun now and again, that's what a man wants! As for Jeremiah, he could certainly use a little cheering up. But surely things would begin to look up for him soon! They continued listening, hoping for an upturn in Jeremiah's fortunes.
But alas, Pastor Bonhoeffer delivered an unrelenting homiletic bummer. He marched further downhill.
'This path will lead right down into the deepest situation of human powerlessness. The follower becomes a laughingstock, scorned and taken for a fool, but a fool who is extremely dangerous to people's peace and comfort, so that he or she must be beaten, locked up, tortured, if not put to death right away. That is exactly what became of this man Jeremiah, because he could not get away from God.'
If Bonhoeffer wanted to ensure that his congregation would never dream of following God too closely, this sermon was just the ticket. He then spoke of God driving Jeremiah 'from agony to agony.' Could it get worse?
And Jeremiah was just as much flesh and blood as we are, a human being like ourselves. He felt the pain of being continually humiliated and mocked, of the violence and brutality others used against him. After one episode of agonizing torture that had lasted a whole night, he burst out in prayer: 'O Lord, you have enticed me and I was enticed, you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.'
Bonhoeffer's congregation was lost. God maneuvered his beloved servant into imprisonment and agony? Somewhere along the line they must have missed a crucial sentence! But they hadn't.
Bonhoeffer was beginning to understand that he was God's prisoner, that like the prophets of old, he was called to suffer and be oppressed--and in that defeat and the acceptance of that defeat, there was victory. It was a sermon that applied to anyone with ears to hear, but few could actually hear it.
"The picture that Bonhoeffer painted of Jeremiah was one of unrelieved gloom and drama. God was after him, and he could not escape. Bonhoeffer referred to the 'arrow of the Almighty' striking down its 'hunted game.' But who was the 'hunted game?' It was Jeremiah! But why was God shooting the hero of the story? . . . Jeremiah is 'a prisoner and he has to follow. His path is prescribed. It is the path of the man whom God will not let go, who will never be rid of God.' The sermon began to get seriously depressing. What was the young preacher getting at? Perhaps he was reading too many books. A little fresh air and fun now and again, that's what a man wants! As for Jeremiah, he could certainly use a little cheering up. But surely things would begin to look up for him soon! They continued listening, hoping for an upturn in Jeremiah's fortunes.
But alas, Pastor Bonhoeffer delivered an unrelenting homiletic bummer. He marched further downhill.
'This path will lead right down into the deepest situation of human powerlessness. The follower becomes a laughingstock, scorned and taken for a fool, but a fool who is extremely dangerous to people's peace and comfort, so that he or she must be beaten, locked up, tortured, if not put to death right away. That is exactly what became of this man Jeremiah, because he could not get away from God.'
If Bonhoeffer wanted to ensure that his congregation would never dream of following God too closely, this sermon was just the ticket. He then spoke of God driving Jeremiah 'from agony to agony.' Could it get worse?
And Jeremiah was just as much flesh and blood as we are, a human being like ourselves. He felt the pain of being continually humiliated and mocked, of the violence and brutality others used against him. After one episode of agonizing torture that had lasted a whole night, he burst out in prayer: 'O Lord, you have enticed me and I was enticed, you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed.'
Bonhoeffer's congregation was lost. God maneuvered his beloved servant into imprisonment and agony? Somewhere along the line they must have missed a crucial sentence! But they hadn't.
Bonhoeffer was beginning to understand that he was God's prisoner, that like the prophets of old, he was called to suffer and be oppressed--and in that defeat and the acceptance of that defeat, there was victory. It was a sermon that applied to anyone with ears to hear, but few could actually hear it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Let's Abandon "Sham Christianity": Bonhoeffer and Chambers
From the Bonhoeffer biography by Metaxas, quoting Bonhoeffer
Note: If you have not read this book you should. Discussing it with a pastor friend of mine today he called the book prophetic for our times. I agree.
"But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me. This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands. This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament . . ."
Comment: Living out the cross of Jesus is unavoidable if we would wish to count ourselves as true Christians, real followers of the Lord. Yet it seems to be this cross that much of western Christendom is seeking to avoid. Try to live the sermon on the mount, try to relinquish all your rights, try to live like Jesus lived. What might you find? Folks will try to talk you out of it. You will find that many are not up for this sort of Christianity, preferring rather the false kind that is wed to western materialism, that insists on being comfortable, one that has me standing up for my own rights--all with that independent spirit that says, "I am a Christian, yet I own myself. I will do what I want and call it following Jesus." It's high time we abandoned this bunk and got serious about following Jesus as He laid it out. Or else let's stop calling ourselves His disciples. It's time to count the cost and decide once for all if we will own ourselves or be owned and ruled by Him--which of course means doing His will at all costs--and it will be costly in terms of suffering and rejection.
Bonhoeffer and Chambers would have perhaps gotten along well in their no-nonsense approach to real discipleship. Consider what Chambers says regarding following Jesus.
1. "We put sensitive loyalty to relatives in place of loyalty to Jesus Christ and Jesus has to take the last place. In a conflict of loyalty, obey Jesus Christ at all costs."
2. "Our Lord never puts personal holiness to the fore when He calls a disciple; He puts absolute annihilation of my right to myself and identification with Himself."
3. "If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on your own way, certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, it is an indication that there are whole tracts of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze."
4. "I must reduce myself until I am a mere conscious man, I must fundamentally renounce possessions of all kinds, not to save my soul--but in order to follow Jesus."
5. "There is no question of your rights. The stamp of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus."
Note: If you have not read this book you should. Discussing it with a pastor friend of mine today he called the book prophetic for our times. I agree.
"But if God determines where he is to be found, then it will be in a place which is not immediately pleasing to my nature and which is not at all congenial to me. This place is the Cross of Christ. And whoever would find him must go to the foot of the Cross, as the Sermon on the Mount commands. This is not according to our nature at all, it is entirely contrary to it. But this is the message of the Bible, not only in the New but also in the Old Testament . . ."
Comment: Living out the cross of Jesus is unavoidable if we would wish to count ourselves as true Christians, real followers of the Lord. Yet it seems to be this cross that much of western Christendom is seeking to avoid. Try to live the sermon on the mount, try to relinquish all your rights, try to live like Jesus lived. What might you find? Folks will try to talk you out of it. You will find that many are not up for this sort of Christianity, preferring rather the false kind that is wed to western materialism, that insists on being comfortable, one that has me standing up for my own rights--all with that independent spirit that says, "I am a Christian, yet I own myself. I will do what I want and call it following Jesus." It's high time we abandoned this bunk and got serious about following Jesus as He laid it out. Or else let's stop calling ourselves His disciples. It's time to count the cost and decide once for all if we will own ourselves or be owned and ruled by Him--which of course means doing His will at all costs--and it will be costly in terms of suffering and rejection.
Bonhoeffer and Chambers would have perhaps gotten along well in their no-nonsense approach to real discipleship. Consider what Chambers says regarding following Jesus.
1. "We put sensitive loyalty to relatives in place of loyalty to Jesus Christ and Jesus has to take the last place. In a conflict of loyalty, obey Jesus Christ at all costs."
2. "Our Lord never puts personal holiness to the fore when He calls a disciple; He puts absolute annihilation of my right to myself and identification with Himself."
3. "If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on your own way, certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, it is an indication that there are whole tracts of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze."
4. "I must reduce myself until I am a mere conscious man, I must fundamentally renounce possessions of all kinds, not to save my soul--but in order to follow Jesus."
5. "There is no question of your rights. The stamp of the saint is that he can waive his own rights and obey the Lord Jesus."
Monday, September 26, 2011
Remaining Confident Under Threat of Ruination- Lewis and Psalm 27
Lewis writes the below from "On living an an Atomic Age" Present Concerns:
"If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible things--praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts--not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (any microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds."
Comments: There are many trials that we might call "life stoppers." They can lead to depression and immobility. I speak of things like an un unexpected illness, the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, rejection and misunderstanding by others, the killing of a dream, death of a loved one, things like that. Lewis makes a good point here, taken from Psalm 27 (quoted below): regardless of what happens to us we must prove through Christ to be overcomers and press on with life. Regardless of the cost, we must follow Him and do His bidding, walking among men and women as He Himself walked. Of course, in doing this you will pay a price--a price many are no longer willing to pay in our age.
Remember, the Holy Spirit is a comforter. If you need no comfort you may not need Him. Likewise the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness and self-control) is going to be most evidenced at times when the very opposite of such fruit is more likely to reveal itself in the natural. The supernatural life is not needed by those who have it all together. Nay, the Holy Spirit is for those facing trial and ruin in the hardships of life, whatever these may be.
Psalm 27:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh--my adversaries and foes--they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord; that will I seek after; to live in the house all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
For He will hide me in the His shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of His tent:
He will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
"Come," my hearts says, "seek His face!"
Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide Your face from me.
Do not turn Your servant away in anger, You who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path.
"If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible things--praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts--not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (any microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds."
Comments: There are many trials that we might call "life stoppers." They can lead to depression and immobility. I speak of things like an un unexpected illness, the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, rejection and misunderstanding by others, the killing of a dream, death of a loved one, things like that. Lewis makes a good point here, taken from Psalm 27 (quoted below): regardless of what happens to us we must prove through Christ to be overcomers and press on with life. Regardless of the cost, we must follow Him and do His bidding, walking among men and women as He Himself walked. Of course, in doing this you will pay a price--a price many are no longer willing to pay in our age.
Remember, the Holy Spirit is a comforter. If you need no comfort you may not need Him. Likewise the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness and self-control) is going to be most evidenced at times when the very opposite of such fruit is more likely to reveal itself in the natural. The supernatural life is not needed by those who have it all together. Nay, the Holy Spirit is for those facing trial and ruin in the hardships of life, whatever these may be.
Psalm 27:
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh--my adversaries and foes--they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the Lord; that will I seek after; to live in the house all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
For He will hide me in the His shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of His tent:
He will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
"Come," my hearts says, "seek His face!"
Your face, Lord, do I seek. Do not hide Your face from me.
Do not turn Your servant away in anger, You who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Give Everything Over to Death: C.S. Lewis on Romans 12:1
In Mere Christianity Lewis writes: "Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the death. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."
Comments: What is all this business we talk about defending our rights and being in charge of our lives? Are we not trying to lead a double life? On the one hand we want Jesus; we want to be Christian . . . we want Him to rule us. And yet, on the other hand we would go to the death to preserve our independence and the rights we have to pursue liberty and happiness. We strive to fulfill our dreams. We rule our lives and give lip service to being ruled by Another. Yet all along the secret to the resurrection of our very lives in the here and now is crucifixion. Without voluntary death right now none of us shall ever enjoy His resurrection life as it was meant to me--right now. In the Christian realm death as spoken here always leads to abundant life. Be warned: The devil is trying to keep you from it.
Eternal life is about today-- your present existence on September 20, 2011. It is a quality of life that you will have if you will lay down your life. My passions, my dreams, my own will and plans must be relinquished to Him. This is what it means to seek first God's kingdom. It is to go all in. It is to adapt the sermon on the mount as a real ethic. It is to reject every false brand of Christianity which says we can live for Jesus and somehow be in charge of our lives. You want to see God? You want to experience His resurrection? Then you and everything in you must die. His will, His ways, His power will only come to the front of your life when you voluntary sacrifice all to God--including those things that we have been fooled into thinking we had a right to have.
Comments: What is all this business we talk about defending our rights and being in charge of our lives? Are we not trying to lead a double life? On the one hand we want Jesus; we want to be Christian . . . we want Him to rule us. And yet, on the other hand we would go to the death to preserve our independence and the rights we have to pursue liberty and happiness. We strive to fulfill our dreams. We rule our lives and give lip service to being ruled by Another. Yet all along the secret to the resurrection of our very lives in the here and now is crucifixion. Without voluntary death right now none of us shall ever enjoy His resurrection life as it was meant to me--right now. In the Christian realm death as spoken here always leads to abundant life. Be warned: The devil is trying to keep you from it.
Eternal life is about today-- your present existence on September 20, 2011. It is a quality of life that you will have if you will lay down your life. My passions, my dreams, my own will and plans must be relinquished to Him. This is what it means to seek first God's kingdom. It is to go all in. It is to adapt the sermon on the mount as a real ethic. It is to reject every false brand of Christianity which says we can live for Jesus and somehow be in charge of our lives. You want to see God? You want to experience His resurrection? Then you and everything in you must die. His will, His ways, His power will only come to the front of your life when you voluntary sacrifice all to God--including those things that we have been fooled into thinking we had a right to have.
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