I appreciate this new commercial by Michael Jordon (click here or on the picture.) The message is clear. If you want to be successful at something, you are going to have to work hard at it.
There is, I think, in our culture this idea that things just happen to people who are fortunate. In reality there are only a few flukes in the world. The people on this planet who are successful at what they do are successful because they work extremely hard.
The Christian life is no different. It is not easy. It is a challenge.
Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
The easy road is the one that requires the least from you, but costs you the most in the end. Go to work and get by. Approach your marriage to get by. Just get your kids out of the house without a baby or parole officer. Get enough of God that you feel good about yourself, but don’t ever really die to yourself so that you feel good about God. Each one will cost you in the end.
The Christian life is offered to all, but limited to those who are willing to give up on what is easy and sacrifice all for Jesus. That is the narrow road. Walking the narrow road requires the discipline of a great athlete.
A great athlete practices and exercises their body to the point of exhaustion. The body tells the athlete to stop by sending pain signals, but the athlete refuses. The body provides more signals, but the athlete relentlessly refuses. The athlete forces the body to go beyond what it wants to do. The athlete refuses to obey the whims of the flesh and instead chooses to suffer in order to succeed.
Maybe the culturally western version of Jesus that makes Christianity seem easy is wrong? Maybe it’s not supposed to make you feel better or more comfortable? Maybe salvation isn’t a get out of hell free card? Maybe following Jesus is not about what I want, but is all about what God wants? Maybe we’ve been making faith a crutch rather than a cross? Maybe we should have been expecting less from others and more from ourselves? Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like the cost of discipleship is everything we have for everything God has given?
Jesus gave His life to redeem us. What are we giving to him? Excuses?
1 comment:
Good comments. Our walk with God is going to be difficult much of the time.
Spiritual powerhouses like John the Baptist and apostle Paul make it clear where their role was in their walk of faith with Christ. John the Baptist speaks in John 3:30 that, "He (Christ) must become greater; I (John) must become less." Paul also states in 1 Cor. 15:31 that "I die everyday..."
Their statements don't sound easy but our model is Christ. Christ stated that the servant is no greater than his master (John 13:16). We suffer because Christ had suffered (1 Peter 4:1). And if our walk with God is how it should be we are drawn closer to Him through it (2 Corn. 12:10).
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