Maintenance Christianity vs. A Loud Voice
"For the love of Christ [compels] us, because we have concluded this: that...he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised." 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, ESV
This morning, while reading Matthew 27:45-56, I was struck by these words: "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit." Jesus "cried out…with a loud voice." It’s almost unthinkable. The pain that He endured, though a pure and innocent Lamb, is incalculable. We may never fully comprehend it. Exactly what happened at that moment in history and reality (to history and reality) we may never fully understand. But what struck me was that He held absolutely nothing back from the will of God: "Not my will, but Thy will be done," [Luke 22:42, KJV]; "I do always the things that please [the Father]." [John 8:29, KJV]
He is so precious, so glorious, so worthy-worthy of all we are and all we have. And yet we hold back so much from His absolute control, stockpiling it in the "secret" closet of our mind. We pile objects, people, feelings, safe identities that we’ve built for ourselves; all mistresses of our fallen nature—all idol moons orbiting around the sun of self instead of the Son of God. We stand in front of them in the closet, shielding these things from his control and in an attempt to avert His attention away from them-but He sees. What objects do you see over your shoulder? What people do you see whose opinions you simply must win? What is hiding there, in the corner of your eye?
Those things stay in the closet, and are not exposed and ripped out because, I think, we tend to be maintainers rather than pursuers. We have quiet times and pray and read the bible and have Christian-ish conversations that we might maintain our current 'saved' status—stay afloat—not fall away. But we are not meant to maintain. We are meant to pursue—to run, to sprint, to leave all, to abandon everyone and everything for the sake of Christ alone. (And I did not say "if necessary.") We are meant to pursue with abandon.
Paul understood this in one of my favorite passages of scripture: Philippians 3:7-14, ESV. (Please take a moment and read it.) He did not consider himself to have obtained all that there was to obtain: do you? Are you maintaining? Instead, he "strained forward to what lies ahead, and [pressed] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." He counted everything in the closet as "loss" when compared to Christ. He said "Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ…" [KJV]. That's pursuit.
How often do we merely 'maintain'? Our Christian walk should look like a pursuit, a sprint, a "crying out with a loud voice", "that we may win Christ and be found in Him." He shouted when winning us, will we shout to win Him? Do something today to break the mold of 'maintenance Christianity,' and "run so as to obtain [the prize]!" [1 Corinthians 9:24, KJV] Don't maintain; pursue. He's worth more than it all.
Recommended Reading:
Chris Tomlin, "Take My Life" [song lyrics]
"Be Thou My Vision" [hymn]
"O the Wonderful Cross" [hymn]
Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender. [essay/book]
*A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God [book] *one of the best books I’ve ever read.
This morning, while reading Matthew 27:45-56, I was struck by these words: "And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit." Jesus "cried out…with a loud voice." It’s almost unthinkable. The pain that He endured, though a pure and innocent Lamb, is incalculable. We may never fully comprehend it. Exactly what happened at that moment in history and reality (to history and reality) we may never fully understand. But what struck me was that He held absolutely nothing back from the will of God: "Not my will, but Thy will be done," [Luke 22:42, KJV]; "I do always the things that please [the Father]." [John 8:29, KJV]
He is so precious, so glorious, so worthy-worthy of all we are and all we have. And yet we hold back so much from His absolute control, stockpiling it in the "secret" closet of our mind. We pile objects, people, feelings, safe identities that we’ve built for ourselves; all mistresses of our fallen nature—all idol moons orbiting around the sun of self instead of the Son of God. We stand in front of them in the closet, shielding these things from his control and in an attempt to avert His attention away from them-but He sees. What objects do you see over your shoulder? What people do you see whose opinions you simply must win? What is hiding there, in the corner of your eye?
Those things stay in the closet, and are not exposed and ripped out because, I think, we tend to be maintainers rather than pursuers. We have quiet times and pray and read the bible and have Christian-ish conversations that we might maintain our current 'saved' status—stay afloat—not fall away. But we are not meant to maintain. We are meant to pursue—to run, to sprint, to leave all, to abandon everyone and everything for the sake of Christ alone. (And I did not say "if necessary.") We are meant to pursue with abandon.
Paul understood this in one of my favorite passages of scripture: Philippians 3:7-14, ESV. (Please take a moment and read it.) He did not consider himself to have obtained all that there was to obtain: do you? Are you maintaining? Instead, he "strained forward to what lies ahead, and [pressed] on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." He counted everything in the closet as "loss" when compared to Christ. He said "Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ…" [KJV]. That's pursuit.
How often do we merely 'maintain'? Our Christian walk should look like a pursuit, a sprint, a "crying out with a loud voice", "that we may win Christ and be found in Him." He shouted when winning us, will we shout to win Him? Do something today to break the mold of 'maintenance Christianity,' and "run so as to obtain [the prize]!" [1 Corinthians 9:24, KJV] Don't maintain; pursue. He's worth more than it all.
Recommended Reading:
Chris Tomlin, "Take My Life" [song lyrics]
"Be Thou My Vision" [hymn]
"O the Wonderful Cross" [hymn]
Andrew Murray, Absolute Surrender. [essay/book]
*A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God [book] *one of the best books I’ve ever read.
posted by Unknown at 8/12/2004 04:56:00 PM
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