"Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard." Jeremiah 50:2


Wednesday, July 11, 2007

"Me First" Christianity

"And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:57-62



The two disciples that Jesus was speaking with in this passage share a lot in common with the majority of Christians, including myself at times, that I see in the world today. People say that they want to follow Jesus and be one of His disciples, but there is usually something that prohibits them from being fully surrendered to His calling. In both of these cases, family and friends came in the way of these disciples' walk with Christ. The typical Christian in our churches today are no different than these two men. In our present day and age, education, vocation, relaxation, and self-gratification are the usual culprits for hindering a person's walk with the Lord. You see, many people, past and present, want to do want they want to do, go where they want to go, be who they want to be, and serve how they want to serve without ever considering how or what God would have them do, go, be, and serve. It is apparent that today's Christian has no desire to live a holy life that is pleasing to God, especially if they must give up something that brings them pleasure in order to do so. Every where you turn you see Christians who love the world more than they love their Savior. The Bible makes it crystal clear that you cannot serve God and still hold on to the things of this sin-filled world. The Scriptures also make the unmistakable claim that you cannot follow the Lord and have your own way about things at the same time. Jesus said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." It is impossible follow Christ until you have denied all right to your self and crucified your own fleshly desires. Jesus could not have made it more clear.

As an example, here is a link to a blog of a pastor in Georgia who wants to let people know how they can dress as cool as he dresses (http://yckg.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/how-to-dress-as-cool-as-me/). This guy is more concerned with a person's wardrobe than he is about the destiny of their soul. Instead of trying to encourage people how look and act like the world, why does this man not encourage people how to be more like Christ. I suppose if he did that, though, he would not be so "cool" anymore and no on would want to follow him. In effect, he is saying, "Jesus, I will follow you if you will allow me first to dress as hip as I can." Give me a break. God is not fooled or impressed by such immaturity.

If we are to lead others to the Savior of this world we must be dedicated to Him. The people of this world are not impressed with Christians who look, talk, think, dress, and imitate them in every possible way and then say that they are not of the world. The world wants to see something different and distinct. They want to see people who have convictions and are willing to abide by and stand up for those convictions. More importantly, though, God wants His children to be devoted entirely to Him and Him alone. He wants Christians to be "unspotted from the world." God said that "whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." He also said, "If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him."

There was another man in the Bible who said "me first," but his attitude was entirely different than that of the other two. Paul, writing to Timothy, said, "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting." Oh, how we should all want our Lord and Savior to emanate from within us so that we, too, would be examples for the lost world! That will only happen, though, when we surrender every area of our life to follow and serve Him. Are you surrendered to Jesus, or in your heart are you saying "me first"?



All to Jesus I surrender
All to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him
In His presence daily live

All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me Jesus, take me now

All to Jesus I surrender
Make me, Savior, wholly thine
Let me feel the Holy Spirit
Truly know that Thou art mine

All to Jesus I surrender
Lord, I give myself to Thee
Fill me with Thy love and power
Let Thy blessing fall on me

Friday, July 06, 2007

Christians and Smoked Brisket

After reading the title to this entry, you may be asking what do briskets and Christians have to do with each other. In this post I will attempt to link the two together to provide an interesting illustration.

First, let me say that I love smoked brisket. I have a smoker at home and try to smoke something at least once a month if financially able to do so. Nothing, according to my taste buds, is more palatable than a good heaping portion of brisket that has been cooked long and slow over hickory or mesquite smoke. A brisket, however, has not always been so favorable to those doing the cooking or the ones doing the consuming. In times past this hunk of meat was simply thrown out and was not used for anything, because the meat is very tough and stringy. The brisket comes from the area of the neck between the shoulders of a cow or steer. Cooked in a traditional manner, you would have to chew for a week to be able to swallow a piece of this meat. In most cases it is good for nothing and fit only for the garbage heap, not the table.

However, when you take this otherwise worthless piece of meat, and cook it at a low temperature (approx. 150 - 225 degrees) for an extended amount of time (12 - 16 hours) an amazing transformation takes place that is not seen by the human eye. A brisket literally changes its chemistry. It is transformed from something detestable to something delectable. It changes from something worthless to something exceptional. This piece of beef that was once thrown out with the entrails metamorphoses into one of the most tender, tastiest cuts of meat. A brisket is genuinely changed from the inside.

I am smoking a brisket for my son's birthday party tomorrow and, as I was preparing the meat with seasonings, it occurred to me how much a Christian and a smoked brisket share with one another. Before a person places their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, they are as worthless and vile as a brisket once was. In the fifth chapter of the book of Galatians the apostle Paul says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." When writing to the Corinthians Paul, giving the same basic list of the deeds of the flesh, says, "and such were some of you." Man is a corrupt, wretched, reprehensible creature.

However, like a brisket meeting smoke and time, when a person meets Jesus Christ and gives their life to Him, they, too, are changed from the inside. An amazing change takes place within their hearts. They are the ones whose chemistry is rewritten. They have now become something delectable to the Lord's taste rather than something detestable. They are the one's who are transformed from something worthless to something exceptional. Paul went on to say to the Galatatians that, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul said, "but ye are washed, but ye are sacntified, but ye are justified" to the same people he said "and such were some of you."

People want "proof" that Jesus is who He says He is. The only evidence they need is the change in the lives of the people who have made Him their Lord and Savior. The only way for someone to produce the fruit of the Spirit is to have their lives totally changed. Paul, in Second Corinthians, says that if a person has trusted in Jesus that he is a totally new creature and the old person he was has passed away. Only one person can make such a change in a person's life and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. So, the next time you are savoring a piece of smoked brisket remember the change that that brisket under went and examine your own life to see if you have been transformed.