“He didn’t make the
effort to understand me,” laments a university student to her roommates.
“I just wish you would
try to see my side of it!” screams a husband defensively to his wife.
“I would go back to
that church, but it just doesn’t meet my needs,” relays a young adult to his
friend.
As human beings, we
all want to be understood, our needs to be cared for, be valued by others, and
to be known and loved. We seek to know
the meaning of life, our purpose on the earth, how we are significant to the
world. But, I would venture to say that these pursuits are all selfish and
empty, if sought out exclusively.
Jesus Christ was a
revolutionary. He turned selfishness and worldly pursuits over on their
stubborn heads.
Then
[Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny
themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save
their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet
lose or forfeit their very self?”
Luke 9:23-25 NIV
ALERT: This
is me ranting here. I’m getting tired of seeing blog posts and facebook
statuses, and hearing Christians griping about not being listened to,
misunderstood, or cared for; believers in Jesus leaving a church or ministry
when the going gets tough because their needs weren’t being met. Well, I’m
sorry, but if you could make a pie chart of all the people with whom Jesus
interacted, how big of a sliver would be those that were always faithful,
edifying, and encouraging? Um, I’ll give you a hint: there wouldn’t even be a sliver. No one was 100% faithful
in understand and meeting Jesus’ needs. The percentage is 0.
What
does it mean to deny yourself? It means that you give up your own desires,
comfort, and your own will. And, take up your cross? Huh? Ok, well, I am a big
baby. If I have a tiny splinter, I freak out and NO ONE is allowed to take a
pair of tweezers to my sensitive skin! The idea of the cross seriously makes me
cringe and shudder. But, here’s the truth: God didn’t ask me to allow myself to
be nailed to a cross. That’s what He asked of Jesus. That was literally His
cross. My cross is what the Lord has asked me to do; His will for my life. And,
I know what that is, the difficulty and the ugliness of it, as well as some
sense of the glory He’ll receive when I obey Him. Because it is for God’s glory
that I exist at all. When I surrendered myself to follow Him 3 decades ago, I
had no real idea of this, and I still don’t know much, but after some of the
hard bumps and bruises I’ve received, and the peek into the glory He gets
because of them, I understand a bit more now.
I must
confess, I am terrible at denying myself. (Was that me ranting a couple of paragraphs back??) Yes, I would have to say,
as Paul said, “I am the chief of sinners.” (that would be if he was talking in
the old-fashioned, KJV) I can give examples from what I’ve seen in others.
There are those that have risked their own lives, risked shame and abuse, for
the sake of Christ and others. I’m always amazed when I read those stories,
wondering, would I give up that much for someone else? If there was a threat to
someone else’s life, would I ask those threatening violence to take mine
instead? I know I could probably do it without a second thought for my husband,
my children, and those that I love dearly, but could I do it for a stranger… or
dare I say, someone that’s hurt me or someone I love? It would be my fleshly
desire to turn my back and walk away, while justifying the pain being inflicted
on the other person after what they did to me or my loved one.
Therein
lies the rub. Have you thought about the fact that Jesus died for the unlovely?
Do you know that when you were wrapped up in your own sin that YOU were
unlovely? Jesus didn’t do what MY first instinct is. He didn’t turn His back
and walk away. When the going got tough, He was lovingly obedient to die on the
cross for us who are completely unworthy.
But
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.
Romans
5:8 NKJV
Jesus
didn’t just give us the commandment in Luke 9 in words only, He was our perfect
example.
I need
to get up off of my high horse, because as I look down, it’s not a high horse I’m
on at all, but a flea-bitten, boil-stricken, stubborn donkey. I have absolutely no ability of my own to
deny myself and take up my cross (be obedient to God). It is ONLY when I walk
by the Spirit Jesus gave me when I trusted in Him (Please read through John
14-16 to get a sneak peek of Jesus talking about His Spirit that He gives us). The
apostle Paul told us what happens when we walk by the Spirit.
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16 NIV
Through the Holy
Spirit, we are united with Christ. He commanded us to deny ourselves, then He
showed us how to do it by going to the cross, then He graciously gave us His
Spirit so that we could do it like He did. I feel like Jesus can wipe His hands
on His robe and say, “OK, now I’ve done all that needs to be done. Later!” and
walk away. But, no, He is available for us to cry out to Him whenever we need
His help. He is our advocate to the Father, as well. Yep, Christ does it all,
alright!
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being
united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the
Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being
like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
humility value others above yourselves, not looking to
your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
Philippians 2:1-4 NIV
So, when the going
gets tough, I humble myself before Christ, who has done, is doing, and will do
it all and say, “Help me!” Then I dig back in, and by His Spirit, I’m able to
deny myself and obey the command He gave me.
[Jesus said,] “A new command I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John
13:34-35 NIV
No
more ranting and raving, just me humbly testifying that it is hard to deny
yourself and take up your cross for the sake of others. I have failed more than
I’ve succeeded at this, but if we are to let Christ shine through us, this is
what we are to do. Give up being understood, personal comforts and our needs
met as our only pursuit so that the eyes of others are pointed to Christ. This,
my friends, is our purpose, so that the Lord Jesus is glorified the way He
deserves.
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