Is Longer Life Worth the Cost of Obedience?

This is the fourth in a four-part series written to answer the questions, "Does God know when I will die?" and "Can the number of days I have be changed?" (If you've missed one of the posts in this series, the links will be at the end of this article.)

Because God is both omnipresent and omniscient, He is everywhere and knows everything. He knows when we are born and when we die. His Word makes it clear that our choices can affect the number of days we are allotted, with sin cutting short our days and loving obedience bringing additional days.

Obedience to the commands of God is hard in the self-centered culture in which we live. 

Self-sacrifice is all too rare, and living simply is denigrated. We want more, not less.

Life in Christ, however, is not about us. It's about honoring and serving the Lord, Jesus Christ. 

The life of a disciple is often in direct opposition to the life of the world around us. It sets us apart. Makes us different. Sometimes, it makes us a target.

Our life in Christ will not, primarily, be spent on this earth. This is merely the anteroom to heaven, where we will live for all eternity. 

When we encounter difficulties, there's a tendency to panic, and imagine that the trouble will be unending. It's easy to forget that troubles in this world, are by definition, time-limited. 

Whatever difficulty we face here is temporary, a blink of the eye in comparison to our eternal life.

Is longer life worth the cost of obedience? Is following Christ worth any difficulty that might come as a result? Is it worth standing firm under persecution?

Following Christ may be unpopular, but it's worth it.

Being a disciple of Christ is not about following a list of rules. By definition, disciples have a relationship as a pupil with the teacher they follow. If we are disciples of Jesus, we have a personal relationship with Him, through which He teaches us to be more like Him. We speak with Him and we listen when He speaks with us. 

This is so important, that it bears repeating: If we follow Jesus, we have a relationship with Him. 

Our Master is trustworthy. We can count on Him. He never leaves us alone, never fails us. The sweetness of that relationship alone, regardless of extra days on earth, makes anything we face worth it for the joy of honoring Him. 

Do you know the sweetness of serving Christ? The reality of a relationship with the Most High God? If not, simply turn to Him in abandon and allow Him to cleanse your sin and transform your life. 

Following Jesus, in this world and the next. Nothing else is worth as much.
~~~~~~~~~

In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links:  The Same Jesus, The God Who Never Fails, Halfway to Canaan, The Blessing Jar, The Potential for Heritage, Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 1, Does God Know When I Will Die? Part 2, and How to Live Longer.

photo courtesy of freeimages.com

#disciple #Christian #worthit #obedience

Considering the Lilies: Receiving the Kingdom of God

"Consider the lilies, how they grow... And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.                                       (Luke 12:27, 29-32 NASB)

Our post today is technically a part of the lily series because it's drawn from the passage, but it also joins the Kingdom of God series from several months ago. 

We began the lily series by considering the lily bulb. In case you missed any part of the series, you can click on the links to catch up. We've also considered lily propagation,  lily's disposition, true lilies and the importance of the name, the importance of planting the lily bulb deep in the ground, the different varieties of lilies,  living the lily life, and  seeking the kingdom. Yesterday, we looked at choosing freedom from fear, worry, and selfishness.

There's a good reason we don't have to be afraid. Our Heavenly Father has gladly chosen to give us the kingdom. The word translated as kingdom is basileia and indicates the territory or authority of a king. ThereIn are many uses for the kingdom of God, but I'm inclined to believe Jesus is referring not only to the kingdom of God at work in our hearts but to a literal kingdom of God to come when Jesus returns. His little flock of believers will reign with Him during this time. 

King Jesus is coming back and everyone will know that He is in charge.

We won't wonder. We won't doubt. Jesus will make all things clear.

Jesus spoke to people whose government had been taken over by a foreign power (Rome) and whose life was, in many ways, hard. Taxation wasn't fair and the government representatives could take as much of their income as they wanted. They worked hard to provide basic necessities for their families. Jesus, human himself, knew their struggle. 

He had a bit of advice (instruction, really) that would make their journey easier. It's one we should heed, as well. 
Take your eyes off the present difficulty and put them on the future joy to come. 
This life of struggle is not all you'll have. 
The hard times won't last forever.

In their uncertain times, the struggle was real. Their hope of the future was, too, and so is ours. We live in a world where right is called wrong and wrong is called right. Like Nineveh, people "don't know the difference between their right hand and their left". (Jonah 4:11) Christians are slaughtered for their faith. 

Evil is rampant and the reign of terror seems unstoppable. But it's not. One day, the skies will split, Jesus will appear, and the reign of evil and terror will come to an end..

We need to keep our eyes on the sky and our hearts fixed on the hope of our returning Lord because that hope makes all the difference.

Don't fear, dear ones, Jesus told us, I'm coming back and you will share with me in my new Kingdom. Keep your minds fixed on that truth.

I've written before about the kingdom of heaven. Rather than repeating those words, I'm including links to the posts. Click on the link and it will open in a new tab but save your spot here.

Thy Kingdom Come/Heaven-style Worship
The Kingdom of God in Us
The Keys to the Kingdom of God
Thy Kingdom Come, Entering the Kingdom 
Born into the Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God to Come

There's a section from one of the posts listed above that I've read repeatedly this morning, and it's broken my heart all over again. I hope it touches your heart, too.

"If I lack the power of Peter, it is because I want the things of this world more than the power and authority, the knowledge and discipline that Jesus promised. I read those words, shudder at the truth of them, and recognize that it is truly pathetic. Why would I prefer comfort over the incredible delight of following Christ, even when it is hard, knowing that my eternal reward in heaven will be more than adequate recompense? This should not be."

Why would I prefer comfort over the incredible delight of following Christ? That's the question we all need to answer. One day, things will be different. For now, we must follow Him. No matter the cost.

~~~~~~~

Our Father who art in heaven, forgive my earthly ways. Help me to choose Your paths, Your righteousness, Your ways, no matter the cost. In Jesus name, Amen.

Confessing Jesus Before Men: The Way, The Truth, and The Life

"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

Confess before men" is a phrase that, in Greek, means to say the same the same things about Jesus that He says about Himself. In this series, we have reviewed the I AM's, including I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the Light of the World, I AM the Door, I AM the Good Shepherd (pasture), I AM the Good Shepherd, and I AM the Resurrection and the Life.

It was the night before Jesus' crucifixion. He spent those last few hours celebrating the Passover and talking with His disciples. In the limited time He had left, He poured truth into the men who would carry on after His return to heaven. 

"I'm going away," He told them. "Where?" Thomas wanted to know. "Don't worry. I'm going to prepare a place for you and You already know the way to join me." (Leanna Paraphrase) 

I love Thomas. He was full of questions and uncertainly, and not afraid to ask what he wanted to know. We should be so bold. "Jesus, we don't even know where You're going. How do we know the way?" Thomas asked. (LP) Jesus replied with words that we would do well to remember.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; 

no one comes to the Father but through Me." John 14:6 NASB

(The passages in the Gospel of John are incredibly rich and worth reading. I encourage you to take the time to review John 13-15.)

How do we know "the way"? We know it because we know Jesus, and He is the way. The word translated as "way" is hodos and indicates the road one would take on a journey. In this instance, hodos is used to indicate that Jesus is the path we must take to a relationship with God. 

This word has also been used to describe the Christian faith, as "the way". It is used to indicate that living according to the teaching of Christ is a different "way" of living than we would choose otherwise. 

When we stand at a crossroads of decision, those of us who follow Christ must follow the path He trod. We must remember that Jesus denied Himself, left heaven, suffered incredible loss and pain, paid for our sin, and conquered death. He taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. 

We cannot merely choose the easiest or most profitable path. We must choose the way of Christ. The way of righteousness.

Are you struggling to make a decision? Turn to the words in red. In some versions of the Bible, the words Jesus spoke are printed in red. There's enough truth in those words to carry us through a lifetime. His is always the way we should go.

Of course, the problem with following the way of Jesus is that He demands forgiveness for enemies and prayers for persecutors. Who wants to do that? In our natural self, none of us. They are, however, the way of Christ. If we are to follow Him, we must follow His way. 

The way can be summed up in two short sentences. 

"Jesus said unto him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

 and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 

This is the great and foremost commandment. 

The second is like it,' You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

Matthew 22:37-39 NASB

If we are wondering how we should live, these few verses will give us a nice summary. Love God and love your fellow man. If we get those priorities straight, we have a nice start on the way of Christ.

Understanding the "I AM's" does more than help us know Jesus. To confess Jesus before men, we must "say" with our lives the same things Jesus said about Himself. If we are to be a living demonstration of Jesus as the way, we must live in obedience to His commands. We must love as He loved, give as He gave, serve as He served, forgive as He forgave. He is the way, and He's made the path clear. It's our job to follow close behind.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, 

and those who find it are few. 

Matthew 7:14 NASB

~~~~~~~

Our Father, Thank you for making the way clear by sending Jesus to show us the way to live and the way to You. Help me to choose Your path rather than my own. Help me to follow faithfully until the day I see you face to face in eternity. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Sending the seventy, part 22:

The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." (Luke 10:17-20 NASB)

The seventy sent-ones had just returned from their missionary trip, having traveled (on foot) to the towns where Jesus planned to go. They had paved the way by telling the people about Jesus and healing the sick. It was hard. It was exciting. It filled them with joy. 

When they returned, the sent-ones were bubbling over with excitement about their experience. "Even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" It was amazing to them, and it would be to us. They prayed for healing and people were healed. They prayed in the name of Jesus for demons to leave those they tormented, and the demons came out. The healing and restoration they witnessed took their breath away and thrilled them completely. 

"Even demons," they said. The most impossible thing happened through the power of the name of Jesus and they were in awe of that power. 

At the name of Jesus, even the demons fled. 

We, who are so comfortable in our padded pews with church services that are limited to a strict timetable and order of worship, may go a lifetime and never see a soul set free from demonic control at the name of Jesus. We may never see the lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear. We may never invoke the name of Jesus with the bold faith of these seventy sent-ones, and we will be poorer for our lack of faith. There is one fact that needs to be ingrained in our minds and hearts. Our failure to see, our failure to ask, our failure to pray in no way indicates an inability on God's part to deliver, to hear, to free, or to redeem. The God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever is still able to heal, redeem, and set free. Even demons still have to obey the name of Jesus. 

As we begin this new year, let us embark on the journey of the sent-ones. This year, with nothing but the commission of Christ, let us follow in obedience and invite our Lord to do what we never dreamed was possible this year. Pray that the captives would be set free, that demons would flee, and that we, like the sent-ones, would be filled with joy by all we see God do. 

-------

Read last night's post, The New Zealand Badge, here. It turns out that faithfulness in working toward a little goal can achieve more than you knew was possible. 

Sending the Seventy, part 21:

"And the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.' And He said to them, 'I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.'" 
                                                                                                                              Luke 10: 17-20 NASB

Jesus had sent the seventy out with quite a job. They were to go to every town and village where He was headed, telling the good news of Jesus and healing in His name. From the beginning, He told them that He was sending them out as lambs among wolves. That comment alone might have been enough to turn back the most adventuresome among us, but not the seventy.  They plowed ahead. 

They could take nothing at all with them. They had the clothes on their backs but no bag, money, change of garments, or bedroll.  They were to go to a town and look for a man of peace. They were to offer a blessing of peace to those in a house and, if it was received, they could stay there while they ministered in the town. If not, they would move on to the next town. They were to accept whatever hospitality was given without moving around, looking for better accommodations. Some entire towns would reject them. When that happened, and it would, they were to leave and go to the next town. 

This was not a fun vacation on which they embarked. This was a physically exhausting, emotionally trying, spiritually draining trip. It was nothing they had ever done before and likely nothing they had imagined. Still, they went. The sent ones did exactly what Jesus said, in exactly the way He said it, and they made it through.

When they returned, not one of them talked about how meager the accommodations or how insubstantial the food. Not one of them whined to Jesus about how difficult the task or the towns that had rejected them.  When they reported to Jesus, they returned with joy! Imagine that! They loved the trip. They considered it a fun journey. They would likely volunteer to do it again. 

They returned with joy!

Is that how we see obedience? Do we count it as joy, no matter the circumstances? Do we rejoice when we serve God in hard or unpleasant circumstances? 

A few weeks ago, I attended a conference that was nothing at all like I expected. The accommodations were less than optimal and I quickly found out about my own sense of entitlement. It took more time than it should have to find my way to acceptance of the circumstances in which God had thrust me, but, once accomplished, something amazing happened. Through Christ, I was able to rise to the occasion. With His help, none of the circumstances mattered one bit. What mattered was that He was at work all around me and I was allowed to see Him, experience Him in new ways. At the end of the week, I, too, reported back to Jesus with joy, and now find that the experience changed me in some difficult to define, but very important, way. 

The sent-ones served and sacrificed for the Lord they loved, and it was worth it. We, too, will find that sacrifice and service, linked hand-in-hand, are not only worth it, they bring great joy. Jesus took those seventy sent-ones completely out of their comfort zones and made them completely dependent upon Him. He wants to do the same with us. You and me. He wants to use us in ways we cannot imagine, giving us joy in the journey more profound than we can comprehend. He will do it, too, if we allow it. 

What is it to which Christ is calling you? What adventure does He offer? Like the seventy sent-ones, why not step out in faith, accept the challenge, and follow the One who has already made a way? The circumstances may not be to your liking, but by the end of your journey, you, too, will be reporting back with great joy over all you have seen God do.

Willing to Go (Luke 8:2,3)

and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. (Luke 8:2, 3 NASB)

In addition to Mary of Magdala, two other women are mentioned by name. We know little about them, except that Joanna was married to Herod's steward, and had likely been in and out of the royal palaces frequently. As a result of his job, her husband had been in close proximity to Herod on a daily basis. We know from this passage that Joanna was one of the women who had been healed by Jesus, either of evil spirits or a terrible sickness. Whichever, her healing was noteworthy and she kept close to Him. Because she and the other women accompanied Jesus, some commentators think they may have been widowed or never married, which allowed them more freedom in being away from their husbands. 

Another possibility is that Chuza, Joanna's husband, was still living and working as Herod's steward, and that he supported Jesus with as much enthusiasm as she. My reasoning for this supposition comes from this verse: 

Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. (Luke 23:8 NASB)

By this, we know that someone had been talking to Herod about Jesus and the miracles He performed. Because Herod was glad to see Jesus and "had wanted to see Him for a long time", it is likely that He had heard positive reports about Him from a disciple of Jesus rather than one of His enemies, such as a Pharisee. There is no one more likely to have the opportunity to share about Jesus than Herod's personal steward, whose own wife had been miraculously healed by the Galilean preacher. 

Regardless of her current circumstances, Joanna was not a woman from one of the rural villages. She was likely more accustomed to an urban, more sophisticated lifestyle, yet she willingly accompanied Jesus on his preaching tour, helping to support the work from her private means and walking dusty roads for miles every day without complaint. 

It's a little easier to identify with Joanna, rather than Mary, in some ways. Her lifestyle was certainly a little more like ours than Mary's had been, but she willingly left her comfort to go where Jesus would go, eat what Jesus would eat. That choice is a little harder to embrace, isn't it? Comfort is very appealing, and hard to leave. 

Jesus's purpose in leaving the comforts of His own heavenly home was not an earthly wilderness trek. It was the redemption of sinful man, and He left home and comfort willingly, so that the work of redemption could be accomplished. 

How willing are we to be uncomfortable for Christ? 

How willing are we to leave the comforts of home to go where Jesus would go, live as He would live, in order to bring others to Him? 

How willing are we to speak out about our faith to those who need Him? 

Today pray that we and our loved ones would be willing to be uncomfortable for Jesus in order that all might know His truth, and that, willing, we might follow His call wherever He leads. 

-------

Link to last night's post is here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-big-bonus.html

Bahamian Blogging #1: Learning to follow

My cousin and her friends picked us up from the airport and announced we were taking a field trip. It had been a short night followed by a much longer day already. What I wanted most was to sit still a bit under a palm tree with a book. How silly! It turned out to be a wonderful field trip!

Our first stop was the health food store. Frankly, I was surprised. A trip to the health food store was not what I expected on this trip to the Bahamas, but what it turned out to be a blessing in disguise! One of my new-found friends bought vegan fudge bars and handed them out. What better way to start an island vacation than with ice cream? I began to relax. Maybe this field trip business wasn't so bad after all!

The store was just like those at home except for one thing. Neatly stacked on the check out counter were scraps of paper with carefully printed words of wisdom. I was intrigued and wanted all of them, but asked the lady behind the counter if I could have just one. She smiled broadly and assured me that I could. It was obviously her plan all along. The one that caught my eye said:

"You must always remember that to lead, one must first learn to follow, and you must obey the rules and regulations by which your conduct is to be governed."

Knowing the rules and following them is the reason behind why we study Scripture, but, of course, you already know that. It's the first part that caught my eye. To be a leader, you must be a follower. Correction, to be a good leader, you must first be a good follower. The trick in following is knowing who to follow, isn't it?  

There are plenty of verses about following Jesus. The first that comes to mind directs us to take up our cross and follow Him, but the one that draws me to follow is this one:

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (John 10:27 NASB)

Following the Shepherd whose voice I know sounds like the sweetest kind of following of all. On this beautiful Sunday morning in this island paradise, I am pausing to consider the quality of my following.  If I must lead, and it seems unavoidable, then my following must be of the highest quality. 

Today, join me in evaluating your own following and pray that we, and our loved ones, would not only follow our Shepherd's voice but keep close to the One on whose tender care we depend.