Prior Editions
A Lenten Devotional
Week 4, Sunday 3/6/05 - Saturday 3/12/05
Grow
to be more like Christ through discipleship
There
is a saying that goes, "if you ever discover the perfect church,
don't join because you will ruin it." Ironic and humorous, this
clever statement reveals a truth about our selves. That is, no
matter where we are on our spiritual journey with Jesus, as long as we are
on this planet, we have not reached our destination. We all have
"issues" caused and compounded by sin, and these issues need
work. What often baffles disciples of Jesus is the kind of work
that's needed and who will do it.
What we often find in Christian circles is a great desire born out of a
sincere love for Christ to conquer the sin that so easily entangles us,
but the depth of our ingrained sin seems to outlast our ability to tame it
into submission. At the very least we learn that to conquer
sin-soaked habits takes some doing. But it's in the doing that
frustration grows and we soon find ourselves at a loss. As believers
in the One who spoke and the universe leapt into existence, we expect with
good reason to reduce habits driven by our carnal natures to dust with a
focused will and lots of sweat, but quite often forget to enlist the help
of the One best qualified to accomplish this task.
There probably are many good things that can be said for having a focused
will, and sweat comes from hard work, which is most often good, but to be
an effective disciple of Jesus is not something anyone will accomplish by
their own strength of will, no matter how focused and intense it may be.
Trying to overcome human nature by sheer will power is like rowing a boat
against a rushing current all alone. Little progress is made and
fatigue sets in fast.
The key is not so much in the doing, although what we do is certainly of
importance. More important is the becoming, and the becoming is found in
efforts focused more on Jesus than ourselves. To grow in Christ is
to allow His Holy Spirit to transform our desires into ones that honor Him
so that the things that enticed us before fade into distant memories that
no longer hold any attraction. Discipleship calls for a yielding to
God, a giving over in faith about how we see the world, allowing His
Spirit to enliven our own and open the eyes of our hearts.
Some time back the WWJD craze swept through Christian circles like a
whirlwind. Bracelets and other "Christian" knickknacks
appeared everywhere with these letters prominently emblazoned. The
idea, from a book entitled "In His Steps" by Charles M. Sheldon,
spurred folks to consider in all situations, "What would Jesus
do?" Most assuredly an excellent idea, it also provides some
insight to our culture and "fast food" attitude about how we
approach things today. The popular approach in the WWJD fad was
simply to ask ourselves this question through our day when approached with
decisions and choices.
Good as this is, it omits certain very important steps, such as sincere
repentance wrought from the revelation of Jesus and His Kingdom. At
its most absurd level, waiting to figure what Jesus would do until a
pivotal moment or crisis comes is somewhat like Tiger Woods waiting until
the morning of the Masters Tournament to learn how to swing a golf club.
We wouldn't expect much from Mr. Woods, nor should we expect much from
ourselves if we wait for challenges to arise to become a disciple of
Jesus.
Jesus' gospel was "repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near."
(Matt 4:17) The very clear and simple message for us to enter
the Kingdom of Heaven, to become more like Jesus, first involves
repentance, a turning around, a reconsideration of things in the light of
Christ. Jesus, in essence, was saying, re-calibrate your internal
compass, because what appears to be north is not, and your life is headed
in the wrong direction. But the turning of which Jesus spoke
is not one of distance and travel, but of the soul, our hearts and minds
where in us dwell the very things that "make us tick."
All our lives we followed our teachers and leaders, role models, coaches,
close friends and relatives, adopting and formulating what seemed to be
right, rejecting what seemed to be wrong, all these things being woven
into the fabric of our souls and forming the basis from which we act and
choose and live. For most of us, our souls have woven into a
patchwork quilt where the good, the bad and the ugly all vie for position.
We have our good days, and our bad days. One thing we all share is
inherent, deeply ingrained sin. Jesus came, bringing His Kingdom for
those who might allow His words of life to transform our patchwork quilts
into royal weaves of fine linen, to remake the things we desire from
selfish wants to Kingdom virtues, seeking the good of others over our own.
Jesus came to bring a vision of His Kingdom for us to witness and adopt as
our own.
The scripture for last Sunday's message included a most important element
that provided the reason and vision for Timothy to do all his mentor Paul
exhorted him to do. It said, "In the presence of God and of
Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his
appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge…" (2 Tim 4:1,
emphasis added). What followed in Paul's charge to Timothy all grew
out of Christ's appearing and His Kingdom. Paul pinned his
exhortation on the vision of the Kingdom, which carried a power beyond
anything else he could hope to bring to bear to encourage Timothy.
Paul reminded Timothy the power to accomplish all Paul was asking resided
in Christ and His Kingdom. And this same power is available to each
of us in our walk of discipleship to Jesus.
Our vision of the Kingdom and it's King is central to our "turning
around" and moving into it. As Pastor John so eloquently
pointed out last Sunday, the overarching love demonstrated to us on the
cross is always before us to help us develop the vision and remember the
perfect and pristine yet warmly inviting character of our Father who waits
patiently for us to "turn around" and come home - a home we
can't actually travel to, but capture in our hearts giving us peace,
strength and fortitude to do the "hard things" Pastor John
discussed in his sermon. Available to us is a power of such
magnitude, it cannot be quantified. It is a galaxy of hydrogen bombs that
is at work in each one of us, and it is invoked by simply asking.
Susan Ashton recorded a song, "Down on My Knees" that captures
the struggle we endure in our effort to defeat sin and honor our Lord.
I've got a witness not too stable
It wouldn't get me very far
I've got one hand on the table
And one in the cookie jar
I've got sins that need eviction
From a temple that's a wreck
I've got a chain of contradiction
Hanging around my neck
So I go down, I go down, down
I go down on my knees
I feel the bitter winds grow colder
They are dancing with my pride
I've got a chip on my shoulder
Bigger than a mountainside
And these claws of human nature
Hold me tight within their clasp
I'm not worthy of forgiveness
But I just had to ask
So I go down, I go down, down
I go down on my knees
Feed my hunger, slake my thirst
For a spiritual rebirth
Light my darkness
Move in me
Make me more than what you see
As I go down on my knees
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask and it
will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to
him who knocks, the door will be opened." The power to overcome
our weaknesses and become daily more and more like our Lord is in the
asking, regularly, continually and sincerely. The book of Daniel,
the story of one of the great heroes of scripture, depicts Daniel as a man
of wisdom, conviction and a deep reliance on God. Daniel was a man
of prayer who regularly sought the Kingdom of Heaven. He developed
repentance into an art form in which he greatly excelled.
Getting hold of a vision of heaven is like falling in love with God.
More than knowing about Him, it is connecting with Him in all His creative
wonder and fullness, and seeing clearly the picture of serene, contentment
and fulfillment that graces His Kingdom. The best and most direct
way to connect with God is to read His book. The Word of God is
living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even
to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and
attitudes of the heart. It was this Word that brought forth all that
we see and know. There is no better source of revelation than the
scriptures to capture a vision for the Kingdom and the King that graces
its throne.
To be a disciple of Jesus is not a mystery or difficult thing. It is
simply to allow Him to be your teacher. This takes time and effort,
but effort not so much in changing ourselves, but in learning about and
growing in relationship with Jesus. He is the One who can change us
so that when challenges or temptations arise, we will respond to His
guidance rather than wonder what He would do. We experience in our
lives very few pivotal events, but many, many small instances where the
choices we make accumulate into the people we become. An intention
to invest full confidence in Jesus means to re-think who we are in the
light of Christ, lay hold of the vision he has given us of His Kingdom and
seek Him moment by moment, allowing Him to inform our every choice,
taking captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
In Him,
Dave Roberts
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church