So, I was doing some reading the other day and came across John 13:34-35. Go ahead and click on that link if you don't already have this verse memorized. I'll wait...
Ok, back? Good. Now, I know this verse is not some form of super revelation or that the heavens opened up, or.. well, maybe they did, but for me, it was actually more like a light bulb that had been dimly lit in the background coming to life and shining nice and bright, illuminating the area where I was standing.
And oh, the junk that was littered on the ground. It was disgusting to me. I sat, in the middle of this filth that I called my Christian walk, surrounded by the darts of judgement, the fecal matter or my expressed opinions about others, and the general dirt and filth that I had collected over the course of time that had been thrown at me that I had in turn, thrown at others.
And in the light of this verse, I realized, that my justification for calling others words like 'idiot' or 'worthless' or deciding that others were not worth my time or effort just because they happened to annoy me somehow, was just flat out in opposition to what Christ told us.
I was humbled. I was angry with myself. I was mortified.
And then, not two minutes after writing the word 'idiot' above, someone called me and did something that made me want to say.. 'idiot'. Apparently I have some work that still needs to be done.
See, as Christian's, we are suppose to LOVE one another. And not just those who love us, but those who hate us, those who annoy us, those who we just absolutely know are going to make fun of us.
Why? Cause He loved us first. He died on a cross to make us right with Him while we were still in the middle of our garbage, while we pointed and made fun of Him, while we rejected and said His name as a curse.
If He can do that for us, is it really so much for Him to ask us to do the same for others? Share the love that He gave you when He died on the cross in your place. After all, it is how they will know we are His disciples...
Are you ready to start a revolution?
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sacrifice. Show all posts
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Last Letter..
The original can be found here...
http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/the_last_letter/
The Last Letter
By Ed Stetzer
The Last Letter
Sometimes a “full and wonderful life” ends abruptly.
She was 22 years old, had just given birth, and was in prison for her faith. Perpetua was a Christian of the 3rd century. Her judges and father begged her to recant for the sake of her child. She refused. Instead she used her final days to write the story of why she chose to die. Upon hearing their verdict, she wrote, “we were condemned to the beasts, and we returned to prison in high spirits.” Later, Perpetua sang triumphantly as she marched into the Roman amphitheater to face execution.
1700 years later, in Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer sat in prison awaiting his execution. One of the few Christians to resist the Nazis, he took a bold stand for the Gospel. Bonhoeffer was arrested after a failed attempt on Hitler’s life. During his last days, he wrote reflections on the end of life. They were mixed with courage and fear as he confessed his loneliness but proudly concluding, “Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!”
Soon after, Bonhoeffer's “full and wonderful life” ended at the end of a noose. A doctor who was present at his death later wrote, “In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”
These stories confront us with the penetrating question: Have I made a difference worth recording? The power of these stories—these last letters—is they lay us bare before the call of the Gospel. The light of these men and women who burned for Christ exposes our lives as dying embers in comparison.
John Piper once noted that in our prosperous culture, Christians are able to “give to the church and then devote themselves financially to building the good life and all the while keep a clear conscience.” He's right.
For example, giving to the poor is thoroughly divorced from any real sacrifice. New technologies allow us to make giving possible, even when born of greed. I can sign up for programs in which a portion of my purchase goes to help the poor in Third World slums. Nice. We have created a 21st century form of indulgences in which we buy for ourselves—both goods and a clear conscience.
We need to recapture the sacrificial hearts of the Perpetua and Bonhoeffer. Living in a quasi-spiritual generation, there seems no need to embrace their courage. Yet as Christians, we step into a history paved by men and women who willingly died for causes greater than themselves—from fighting injustice to radical evangelism. Jesus was the first, but His followers, in countless numbers, have counted their lives as nothing for the sake of His glory.
How can we continue this legacy? Those stories undoubtedly stir our hearts, but only for a fleeting moment at best. We read, we applaud, we commit, and then we move on. Again. How do we break free of this complacency and step into the story begun for us 2,000 years ago on the cross? It can begin by writing your own story.
It has been the tradition of soldiers and missionaries to leave their families a “Last Letter,” only to be read in the event of their death. These letters not only contained emotional goodbyes, but were also personal statements about why they chose risk over safety. Why the cause was worth dying for.
These Last Letters are harrowingly honest. There’s no room for clichés or braggarts when you’re staring death in the face. You either intend to die for the cause, or you wouldn’t be writing the letter.
These are letters of testimony. In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul writes that our very lives are letters also, written by the Spirit of the Living God. In the spiritual sense, our lives are a kind of “last letter,” the only testimony we will ever have to bear about how and why we live for the Gospel.
If our life letters were assembled, what would be our contribution? Are we taking up our cross and going into the slums of Bangladesh, the brothels of Thailand and the HIV plagued orphanages of South Africa? Are we carrying on the legacy of Robert J. Thomas, who died on the shores of Korea, beaten to death as he tossed Bibles into the hands of his murderers? For all the Christians who quote Jim Eliot’s famous words about “giving what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose,” what exactly are we giving?
Karen Watson was a member of this generation who understood her call. She was a young missionary recently murdered in Iraq. At her funeral, her “last letter” was read:
Dear Pastor,
You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death. When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward…
The missionary heart: Cares more than some think is wise. Risks more than some think is safe. Dreams more than some think is practical. Expects more than some think is possible.
I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience… There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you and my church family.
In His care,
Salaam, Karen
In response to letters—and lives—like these, the Last Letter Campaign has been launched by leaders who want to capture the heart behind them. I wrote my last letter, and in comparison to these, it seemed so… insignificant. I was not near death or about to go on a dangerous journey. But then I realized that we never know when history or death may visit us. We should live as if every day matters. Because it does.
In the writing of it, something happened. More than ever before, I desired to leave a better and lasting legacy, to be a better discicple and to live more for God’s glory and agenda. I want to be the person described in my letter.
As a generation, what will our letter say? Will we be defined by action, sacrifice, and justice, or complacency, caution and social apathy? Triumph or spiritual setback? Lip service or life service?
When the question is, “What would I be willing to die for?” the answer cannot be anything but revolutionary. So I ask you to consider it. How will your Last Letter read? Write to impact someone later but be a living epistle for the Gospel now. And if your time ends abrutply, let them say you had a “full and wonderful life.”
Ed Stetzer is President of LifeWay Research. He will be presenting new research from the Catalyst main stage and leading in a lab on Wednesday. Every attendee at Catlyst East will receive more information about the Last Letter Campaign in their registration packet.
http://www.catalystspace.com/content/read/the_last_letter/
The Last Letter
By Ed Stetzer
The Last Letter
Sometimes a “full and wonderful life” ends abruptly.
She was 22 years old, had just given birth, and was in prison for her faith. Perpetua was a Christian of the 3rd century. Her judges and father begged her to recant for the sake of her child. She refused. Instead she used her final days to write the story of why she chose to die. Upon hearing their verdict, she wrote, “we were condemned to the beasts, and we returned to prison in high spirits.” Later, Perpetua sang triumphantly as she marched into the Roman amphitheater to face execution.
1700 years later, in Germany, Dietrich Bonhoeffer sat in prison awaiting his execution. One of the few Christians to resist the Nazis, he took a bold stand for the Gospel. Bonhoeffer was arrested after a failed attempt on Hitler’s life. During his last days, he wrote reflections on the end of life. They were mixed with courage and fear as he confessed his loneliness but proudly concluding, “Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine. Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine!”
Soon after, Bonhoeffer's “full and wonderful life” ended at the end of a noose. A doctor who was present at his death later wrote, “In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.”
These stories confront us with the penetrating question: Have I made a difference worth recording? The power of these stories—these last letters—is they lay us bare before the call of the Gospel. The light of these men and women who burned for Christ exposes our lives as dying embers in comparison.
John Piper once noted that in our prosperous culture, Christians are able to “give to the church and then devote themselves financially to building the good life and all the while keep a clear conscience.” He's right.
For example, giving to the poor is thoroughly divorced from any real sacrifice. New technologies allow us to make giving possible, even when born of greed. I can sign up for programs in which a portion of my purchase goes to help the poor in Third World slums. Nice. We have created a 21st century form of indulgences in which we buy for ourselves—both goods and a clear conscience.
We need to recapture the sacrificial hearts of the Perpetua and Bonhoeffer. Living in a quasi-spiritual generation, there seems no need to embrace their courage. Yet as Christians, we step into a history paved by men and women who willingly died for causes greater than themselves—from fighting injustice to radical evangelism. Jesus was the first, but His followers, in countless numbers, have counted their lives as nothing for the sake of His glory.
How can we continue this legacy? Those stories undoubtedly stir our hearts, but only for a fleeting moment at best. We read, we applaud, we commit, and then we move on. Again. How do we break free of this complacency and step into the story begun for us 2,000 years ago on the cross? It can begin by writing your own story.
It has been the tradition of soldiers and missionaries to leave their families a “Last Letter,” only to be read in the event of their death. These letters not only contained emotional goodbyes, but were also personal statements about why they chose risk over safety. Why the cause was worth dying for.
These Last Letters are harrowingly honest. There’s no room for clichés or braggarts when you’re staring death in the face. You either intend to die for the cause, or you wouldn’t be writing the letter.
These are letters of testimony. In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul writes that our very lives are letters also, written by the Spirit of the Living God. In the spiritual sense, our lives are a kind of “last letter,” the only testimony we will ever have to bear about how and why we live for the Gospel.
If our life letters were assembled, what would be our contribution? Are we taking up our cross and going into the slums of Bangladesh, the brothels of Thailand and the HIV plagued orphanages of South Africa? Are we carrying on the legacy of Robert J. Thomas, who died on the shores of Korea, beaten to death as he tossed Bibles into the hands of his murderers? For all the Christians who quote Jim Eliot’s famous words about “giving what we cannot keep to gain what we cannot lose,” what exactly are we giving?
Karen Watson was a member of this generation who understood her call. She was a young missionary recently murdered in Iraq. At her funeral, her “last letter” was read:
Dear Pastor,
You should only be opening this letter in the event of my death. When God calls there are no regrets. I tried to share my heart with you as much as possible, my heart for the nations. I wasn’t called to a place; I was called to Him. To obey was my objective, to suffer was expected, His glory my reward, His glory my reward…
The missionary heart: Cares more than some think is wise. Risks more than some think is safe. Dreams more than some think is practical. Expects more than some think is possible.
I was called not to comfort or to success but to obedience… There is no Joy outside of knowing Jesus and serving Him. I love you and my church family.
In His care,
Salaam, Karen
In response to letters—and lives—like these, the Last Letter Campaign has been launched by leaders who want to capture the heart behind them. I wrote my last letter, and in comparison to these, it seemed so… insignificant. I was not near death or about to go on a dangerous journey. But then I realized that we never know when history or death may visit us. We should live as if every day matters. Because it does.
In the writing of it, something happened. More than ever before, I desired to leave a better and lasting legacy, to be a better discicple and to live more for God’s glory and agenda. I want to be the person described in my letter.
As a generation, what will our letter say? Will we be defined by action, sacrifice, and justice, or complacency, caution and social apathy? Triumph or spiritual setback? Lip service or life service?
When the question is, “What would I be willing to die for?” the answer cannot be anything but revolutionary. So I ask you to consider it. How will your Last Letter read? Write to impact someone later but be a living epistle for the Gospel now. And if your time ends abrutply, let them say you had a “full and wonderful life.”
Ed Stetzer is President of LifeWay Research. He will be presenting new research from the Catalyst main stage and leading in a lab on Wednesday. Every attendee at Catlyst East will receive more information about the Last Letter Campaign in their registration packet.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Search me....
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 139:23-24
I hear the psalmist, on his knees, his hands held high while he lifts his head in this song... beating his chest, crying out to his creator in a longing passion. "Search me!" Throwing open the doors to his life, his soul, his everything. I can hear the desperation in his voice, his heart beating in his chest, his desire to be in a close relationship with his maker.
Totally expecting God to honor his plea. To find anything in him that is against God, so that he can confess it and be free. Clean before a Holy Lord. Made righteous by the work of a loving father. Having nothing to be ashamed of, but to be able to worship in spirit and in truth.
To be lead in the ways of the everlasting, to know, that through everything, he has significance and that his only desire is to follow after that which God laid out before him. To know that no matter what may happen, he is safe in his Father's hands. To risk it all, and leave nothing behind. To rush into battle and to put his life on the line, because to live is a Godly thing, but to die, to lay down his life, in service to the King, there is no greater thing.
Father, may you find me on my knees, my hands lifted in praise to you, these words on my lips, and my heart open to you. Search me, oh my King. Search me.
I hear the psalmist, on his knees, his hands held high while he lifts his head in this song... beating his chest, crying out to his creator in a longing passion. "Search me!" Throwing open the doors to his life, his soul, his everything. I can hear the desperation in his voice, his heart beating in his chest, his desire to be in a close relationship with his maker.
Totally expecting God to honor his plea. To find anything in him that is against God, so that he can confess it and be free. Clean before a Holy Lord. Made righteous by the work of a loving father. Having nothing to be ashamed of, but to be able to worship in spirit and in truth.
To be lead in the ways of the everlasting, to know, that through everything, he has significance and that his only desire is to follow after that which God laid out before him. To know that no matter what may happen, he is safe in his Father's hands. To risk it all, and leave nothing behind. To rush into battle and to put his life on the line, because to live is a Godly thing, but to die, to lay down his life, in service to the King, there is no greater thing.
Father, may you find me on my knees, my hands lifted in praise to you, these words on my lips, and my heart open to you. Search me, oh my King. Search me.
Friday, February 19, 2010
By this...
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jn 13:34-35
Ever wonder why it is by loving one another that we will be known as His disciples? I do. I wonder out of all the things that we could be known for, why love for one another? Why not preaching, or witnessing, or the manner in which we present ourselves to others? Why not on church attendance, or devotion time, or prayer time? Why loving one another?
I think I have at least a partial answer.
Every now and again, I sit back and just watch people carry on in their normal fashion. Just observe the way they interact and carry on. One thing becomes abundantly clear very quickly. We are not a very 'love one another' king of people. More often then not, we are a very self centered, narcissistic people who can barely get out of our own way long enough to realize that there are other people in our lives.
Normally, we carry on with the attitude of getting one over on someone, or putting someone else down in order to make ourselves look or feel better. Our relationships with people are motivated on what that other person can bring into our life, our how can they make our life easier.
So rare is it to find someone who just cares.
Have you ever seen someone being compassionate toward another person and didn't immediately bash that person? The guy on the TV asking you to help feed the hungry children in some third world country, or people who pack up stuff and go to impoverished places to help out how they can, or the person who hands $5 dollars to the guy on the side of the road who is holding his sign?
It's easy to sit. It's hard to walk. Christ called us to love one another, just as He loved us, so much so, that He gave up everything, including His life, to bring us back to Himself. If we are to be true followers of Christ, then shouldn't we love each other with that very same compassion and zeal? Shouldn't we look over the abundance of justification that we have and forgive the wrongs that others have done to us, to get out of our own way, and just to love one another?
Shouldn't we really be more Christlike?
Ever wonder why it is by loving one another that we will be known as His disciples? I do. I wonder out of all the things that we could be known for, why love for one another? Why not preaching, or witnessing, or the manner in which we present ourselves to others? Why not on church attendance, or devotion time, or prayer time? Why loving one another?
I think I have at least a partial answer.
Every now and again, I sit back and just watch people carry on in their normal fashion. Just observe the way they interact and carry on. One thing becomes abundantly clear very quickly. We are not a very 'love one another' king of people. More often then not, we are a very self centered, narcissistic people who can barely get out of our own way long enough to realize that there are other people in our lives.
Normally, we carry on with the attitude of getting one over on someone, or putting someone else down in order to make ourselves look or feel better. Our relationships with people are motivated on what that other person can bring into our life, our how can they make our life easier.
So rare is it to find someone who just cares.
Have you ever seen someone being compassionate toward another person and didn't immediately bash that person? The guy on the TV asking you to help feed the hungry children in some third world country, or people who pack up stuff and go to impoverished places to help out how they can, or the person who hands $5 dollars to the guy on the side of the road who is holding his sign?
It's easy to sit. It's hard to walk. Christ called us to love one another, just as He loved us, so much so, that He gave up everything, including His life, to bring us back to Himself. If we are to be true followers of Christ, then shouldn't we love each other with that very same compassion and zeal? Shouldn't we look over the abundance of justification that we have and forgive the wrongs that others have done to us, to get out of our own way, and just to love one another?
Shouldn't we really be more Christlike?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
"That is why I have come."
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"
Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. - Mark 1:35-39
This verse follows right after a telling of how Jesus cast out demons, healed Peter's mother-in-law and healed people. All that took place the day before. The next day, the disciples all go out looking for him and tell him that all these people are looking for him.
I have this scene in my head of Jesus looking up from his prayer time, still on his knees, staring into the faces of his disciples, all of them giddy with glee at the fact that they are part of this awesome gathering of people and are witnessing a powerful move of God, and when people come looking for Jesus to do more, they eagerly run out and start to look for him so he can do more of what he did yesterday. Do the miraculous.
How often do we go to Jesus looking for a dog and pony show. Heal me, do the miraculous, perform a trick for us, like a bunch of children watching a magician?
I love the response he gives. "Let's go somewhere else." Could you imagine the look on the disciples faces. From stunned to shocked to silent. Their thoughts probably the same as ours in that situation. "What do you mean somewhere else, do you see all the people here?", to "But they came to see you, why not do a few things, and make sure that we can keep the numbers."
Jesus' response. "I came to preach, not show off. I want change lives, from the inside. I want people to know my Father in heaven. That's why I came. Not to do magic tricks." Now, I am not saying that all he did was magic tricks. I am saying, how often do we get caught up in the miracles of God, and not the work of God.
Spreading the gospel.
Like Jesus.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Greater love has no one than this...
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Jn 15:13
I hear this scripture used a lot in reference to Jesus dying on the cross. Somehow, we have read this verse and in our own minds we have taken it to mean that we have to physically die to show this kind of love. Although I will agree, dying for a friend is an awesome sacrifice, I think we completely miss out on the real meaning of this verse.
Think about this for a second, if I physically die, I only have to do that once. But the connotation that I believe Jesus was speaking about was dying daily to ourselves. If you look at the verses before and after this you start to see a much broader picture of what the idea he was conveying is. It's about loving others more then yourself. It's about putting others needs before your own desires.
It's easy to die for someone, it's much more difficult to live a life of humility and submission. But it is in that submitted life to God that we truly start to understand the real sacrifice of Jesus.
Think about it...
I hear this scripture used a lot in reference to Jesus dying on the cross. Somehow, we have read this verse and in our own minds we have taken it to mean that we have to physically die to show this kind of love. Although I will agree, dying for a friend is an awesome sacrifice, I think we completely miss out on the real meaning of this verse.
Think about this for a second, if I physically die, I only have to do that once. But the connotation that I believe Jesus was speaking about was dying daily to ourselves. If you look at the verses before and after this you start to see a much broader picture of what the idea he was conveying is. It's about loving others more then yourself. It's about putting others needs before your own desires.
It's easy to die for someone, it's much more difficult to live a life of humility and submission. But it is in that submitted life to God that we truly start to understand the real sacrifice of Jesus.
Think about it...
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