"I'm Not Called"

One more quote from Radical, based on the piercing truths of God's Word:

I wonder if we have erected lines of defense against the global purpose God has for our lives.

Where in the Bible is missions ever identified as an optional program in the church? 

Jesus himself has not merely called us to go to all nations; he has commanded us to go to all nations. We have taken this command, though, and reduced it to a calling - 

something that only a few people receive.

I find it interesting that we don't do this with other words from Jesus. We take Jesus' command in Matthew 28 to make disciples of all nations, and we say, "That means other people." But we look at Jesus' command in Matthew 11:28 - "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" - and we say, "Now, that means me." We take Jesus' promise in Acts 1:8 that the Spirit will lead us to the ends of the earth, and we say, "That means some people." But we take Jesus' promise in John 10:10 that we will have abundant life, and we say, "That means me."

We have unbiblically drawn a line of distinction, assigning the obligations of Christianity to a few 
while keeping the privileges of Christianity for us all.

In Romans 1:14-15, Paul talks about being a debtor to the nations. 

He literally says, "I am in debt to Jews and Gentiles." 

Paul is saying that he owes a debt to every lost person on the face of the planet. 

Because he is owned by Christ, he owes Christ to the world.

We are in debt to the nations. In our contemporary approach to missions, though, we have subtly taken ourselves out from under the weight of a lost and dying world, wrung our hands in pious concern, and said, "I'm sorry, I'm just not called to that."

Jesus Didn't Die Just For You

Continued from yesterday....
A bit about every Christian's global mission - from Radical, by David Platt:

If you were to ask the average Christian sitting in a worship service on Sunday morning to summarize the message of Christianity, you would most likely hear something along the lines of "The message of Christianity is that God loves me....enough to send his Son Jesus to die for me." 

As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical? 

If "God loves me" is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?

God loves me.

Me.

Christianity's object is me.

This is not biblical Christianity. The message of biblical Christianity is:

"God loves me so that I might make him known among all nations."

To disconnect God's blessings from God's global purpose is to spiral downward into an 

unbiblical, self-saturated Christianity that misses the point of God's grace. 

This is a foundational truth: God creates, blesses, and saves each of us for a radically global purpose. 

If we are not careful we will be tempted to make exceptions. We will be tempted to adopt spiritual smoke screens and national comforts that excuse us from the global plan of Christ. In the process we will find ourselves settling for lesser plans that the culture around us - even the church culture - deems more admirable, more manageable, and more comfortable.

To Go or Not To Go? That Is The Question.

Tomorrow I will post another quoted passage from my latest favorite book: Radical. If you follow my blog at all, you know I've quoted from this book a number of times in the past month or so. May I just say - READ IT, READ IT, READ IT.

The reason I have Radical on my mind again this evening is that Nick and I have just been on the couch reading it. He, for the first time on his fancy I-phone; I, reviewing a chapter on global missions. I'll share some incredibly convicting parts from that chapter tomorrow. For now, though, I'll tell you that the reason I have missions on my mind is because our church is currently planning a 10-day mission trip to Jaipur, India. Nick and I attended a meeting last night to learn more about the upcoming trip.

Jaipur is a city of 3,500,000 people. Only 2% of that 3.5 million know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The rest are at present doomed for a Christless eternity because of their allegiance to the Hindu faith. We have the opportunity to undertake this mission and give our time and resources to the spreading of the gospel in India. We have the opportunity to go and spend many hours with two missionaries in Jaipur, assisting them in their discipling and training of local, native Christians. By our assisting and ministering with these missionaries, more natives will be trained in the sharing of the gospel and more Indians will therefore come to know Jesus as Lord.

It will not be a cheap trip. 14 hour plane ride one way. We would have to leave the day after Christmas and it will "mess up" our Christmas vacation time. The conditions in India will be dirty, so we've been told. We will eat for 10 days with our hands, no utensils. We may be asked to camp under the stars with the natives. We will have to dress in traditional Indian garb. It will be uncomfortable.

Will Nick and I go? I do not know. We have not yet decided.
Our eyes are open, though, to God's command that we GO into all the world and make disciples.
I don't know what excuse we can provide to continue ignoring that command.
If you, like me, are one of those people who has always quoted that "go into all the world" bit yet never honestly chewed on it to ponder the literal implications that Jesus intended it have upon your life........stay tuned.

Come back for tomorrow's post.

Elizabeth Taylor, Lady GaGa, Michael Jackson.......oh my!

Usually as I go about my morning routine, I grab for the remote to turn off the TV so that my bible study can be unhindered. This morning, however, I decided to leave it on after Good Morning America gave the tease that they were going to do a piece on the "Legendary Elizabeth Taylor." I assumed it would be one more occasion during which I was intrigued, saddened, and maddened by the topics, lies, and darkness that stream from to today's media.

I recall a recent morning when Lady GaGa appeared for a nearly 10 minute interview dressed head to toe in latex. Her costume, which the anchors applauded, was meant to be a talking piece for her safe-sex-for-same-sex couples campaign. I recall multitudes of times when abstinence education has been villanized as the reason why so many teens are having unplanned pregnancies. I recall multiple, careful considerations meant to determine when a parent should introduce contraceptive options to their children. I recall days when Steve Harvey, who has had multiple marriages, has been brought in to give advice on marriage. I recall the way the journalists crucified President George Bush one time when he was considering a former Methodist minister for the Position of Surgeon General of the United States. This particular gentleman (who was not ultimately chosen) had once written a paper on the dangers and wrongs of homosexuality, and the esteemed members of the press just could not conceive that such blasphemy might become a part of the White House team. There have been many mornings when popular music artists have been given prime time to perform concerts on air; concerts which involve gross, sexual, humping and dancing. It never fails - after these "wonderful" performances they are praised for their talent, influence, and for so generously sharing their time with the viewing audience. When Michael Jackson died a couple of years ago, he was hailed as a trail-blazer and pitied as a misunderstood genius. Though this man who rose to fame spent his lifetime filled with darkness and confusion, our culture tragically lauded him as a hero. Now, as I sit here this morning, there have been over 25 minutes of warm, lovingly reflective coverage on the "iconic" life of Elizabeth Taylor. She who in the public eye embraced infamously multiple marriages and scandalous, unapologetic affairs is being magnified as a woman to be appreciated, celebrated, and held dear. Barbara Walters called Taylor "great" and "wonderful."

How sad. How pitiful. How wrong.

My intent is not to demonize the mistakes of those mentioned above. Were it not for the mercy of God poured-out upon my life in my greatest times of need, I could very well be as deceived as those I've mentioned. Rather, my intent is to point out the darkness that consumes our culture. The sin that is exalted and called good. The good that is shamed and called wrong.

May we all be on-guard. May we be awake in realizing the dark and powerful influence that this world and its culture can have upon us. May we be guarded against the background noise that surrounds us and stains day-in and day-out. May we shield our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds as much as possible in order to avoid the subtle messages that would cause us to be conformed to the standards of this world.

Be careful little eyes what you see.
Be careful little ears what you hear.
And for goodness sake, turn off the TV to keep the cultural mess from streaming into your homes :).

I Can't Even Go to the Beach to Escape God's Discipline!

My wonderful husband took me to Ponte Vedra, FL last week. He had to attend a conference for work, and I had the pleasure of tagging-along. Gorgeous scenery.... glorious weather.... a treat of a week!

Nick and I had a wee-bit of an episode on the last day of this mini-vacation that caused me to do some serious soul-searching regarding the commands that God has given me as a wife. 1 Peter 3:1-6, Proverbs 31, Ephesians 5:22-24, and Titus 2:3-5 teach the demeanor and the attitude that I and every other married woman are supposed to have in relating to our husbands.

Toward my husband, I am to be:
Gentle
Respectful
Quiet
Reverent
Submissive
Pure
Fearing of the Lord

Like it or not, this is a list of character qualities that are commanded of wives toward their husbands; a list that I really need to work on. It may feel offensive to some, but it is nonetheless the timeless guidance of God's Word that requires a response. It has been my experience that the occasional absence of some of these godly attitudes in me can cause heartbreaking, exasperating, and frustrating ripples in marriage. I have much work to do. Though it is so often uncomfortable, I am thankful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I couldn't even go to the beach to escape it :).

A quick word about the Word...

In the past couple of years I have spent more time reading and studying my bible than ever before in my life. To give a frame of reference: i'd say an average of about 30 minutes a day, Monday through Friday. And... my world has come alive! I now realize that this is the least amount of time that I can possibly devote to God's Word if I expect to have the faith, the wisdom, the courage, the know how, the conviction, the endurance, and the intimate relationship with the Father necessary to live the life that He has planned for me.

I meet with God in His Word routinely each morning, and I feel real sadness if circumstances prevent me from that time in His presence. The scriptures have come alive to me in ways I don't have space to explain! They have guided my choices and assisted my relationships in very specific and personal ways. I experience real joy from the scriptures - joy as high as that which I feel in the arms of my husband. God is proving Himself to me through His Word, and that is a pleasure to experience! I read about who He says He is and what He says He plans to accomplish, and then I go about my days and see how He is exactly who He said He would be, working just as He said He would. Because of how I learn about Him through all of the scriptures, I have a keen awareness of His presence and His wishes as I go about my day. His closeness is wonderful!

I am so thankful for how God has answered my prayers to draw me closer to Himself. For so long I felt only obligation to read my Bible. Now, it is a retreat that I crave. I am more hungry for Him than ever before - more hungry to know Him through the pages of His Word than anything else in my life. No person, no pastime, no hobby, no earthly pleasure or possession can satisfy or thrill me like He does through His Word. Scripture after scripture after passage after passage after story after story has lept off the pages of my bible onto a permanent place in heart!

I realize that I am in a season of life where I have more flexible time than many of you, but I don't attribute this as the main reason for my commitment to the Word. I accredit it mostly to the fact that I asked and God answered. I asked Him to help me to be more disciplined and more desirous for His Word - he answered! He has given me a desire for Himself. If you realize a need in your life to have this sort of relationship with God through His Word, I challenge you to simply ask for His help in that area. If life continues to carry you along, work day after work day, appointment after appointment, commitment after commitment, chore to chore, hobby to hobby, tv show after tv show.......and you never stop to seriously prioritize yor time in the Word.........your life will be far far less than what He created it to be. You'll be cutting yourself off from the number one source of guidance for your life. Don't do that. Join me in a touching, challenging, exciting experience with God through the pages of His awesome Word! You will not be disappointed.

Gainin' Weight and Choosin' to Chill

I am now, by the power and mercy of God, free from years of bondage to eating disorders and lots of weight loss and weight gain. I very much enjoying not being obsessed with my weight. For over five years now, I've enjoyed a steady weight through healthy eating and moderate exercise. I have a great metabolism. Life is good.

Well........what-da-ya know but out of the blue in a period of three weeks I gain 10 pounds!?!?
Now, I don't know about yall, but my fearfully and wonderfully made female body gains weight first all in one area: glutes and thighs! Ah........tight pants :(. I refuse to go shopping for more.

I do have a tiny amount of consolation in knowing that I've done absolutely nothing to earn this weight. It, and a few other physical abnormalities, are all the result of some medication I've taken. For once, this is truly out of my control. Yet, to not be in control of this area of my life is proving to be very much uncomfortable. I've been bellyaching for about three weeks now to anyone who will listen.

So, this recent weight gain and additional physical issues have obviously thrown me for a bit of a loop. I've researched and talked to doctors and dieticians, and they seem to agree that my best solution is to "wait it out and let my body re-regulate itself." Wonderful (insert sarcasm here). To add insult to injury, I've just begun a workout program with my husband and some men at church called "Insanity." It is named such because that is truly the only word fit to describe the level of physical pain this program inflicts. Six days a week. 6:00 a.m. each morning. We've been at it for over a week now, and we're all also really cutting back on our calories. I push myself just as hard - and often times harder - than the men do. All of them are dropping weight like gangbusters. Am I? Well no! Of course not - not a pound! That would make way too much sense.

Okay, enough of my bellyaching..........
God began to convict me yesterday. I have a choice to make here. I can choose to get all torn up about my weight and make weight-loss a top priority OR I can simply choose to accept the fact that this is something that is out of my control right now and keep pressing on with the plans and purposes of God for my life; not allowing myself to become distracted by the things that satan would love for me to be distracted by. If I allow these undesirable physical issues to occupy a large part of my mind and heart, I will no longer be loving the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and mind as I have been commanded. If I spend all kinds of time worrying over how to get my weight back down, I will not be seeking first the Kingdom of God as I have been commanded. I will not be making His priorities my priorities  because instead I will be focused on earthly and eternally-insignificant things. I must choose not to do that. I will choose not to do that. I will not once more idolize my physical body and fail in my obedience to the Lord.

My dad sent me an email today to let me know that he was praying for me in these "struggles" that I am having. Honestly I am really thankful for his prayers because the stuff going on with my body is very definitely not normal, and I do need God's intervention. Mostly from his email, however, I was convicted. Convicted at how I get all selfishly caught up in my temporary "struggles" and make them a much bigger deal than they should be. I was reminded of a passage from my new favorite book, Radical. I'll leave you with it. Perhaps it will make you evaluate your attitude toward your own "struggles":

"Wake up. Wake up and realize that there are infinitely more important things in your life than football and a 401k [and weight loss]. Wake up and realize there are real battles to be fought - so different from the superficial meaningless "battles" you focus on. Wake up to the countless multitudes who are currently destined for a Christ-less eternity!"

Jesus' Mission Determines Our Mission

In Isaiah 49, we see a picture of the mission and purpose of Christ:

"Before I was born the Lord called me.... He made my mouth like a sharpened sword.... He made me into a polished arrow.... He said to me, "You are my servant...in whom I will display my splendor." 

(49:1a, 2a, 2b, 3)

Then, from 1 John 2:6 and a multitude of other New Testament passages, we are instructed that followers of Christ "must walk as Jesus did." The mission and motives of His life should very much inform, effect, and set the standard for the way we live our lives. So, judging by the serious tone of Jesus' mission written in Isaiah 49, we can rightly conclude that our mission on earth may not always be nice and pleasant and comfortable.

Just like Jesus, we each have a calling upon our lives that was planned long before the day of our conception (Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 139:16). According to scripture, that calling will involve earthly discomfort, losing our lives, and risking our reputation for His sake. He may ask us to speak up in circumstances when His truth will cut like a "sharpened sword" into the lives of those we care about. He may ask us to act as a weapon - a piercing, "polished arrow" - for Him in situations where we'll need take stands for certain things and against certain things. He clearly calls us to be His "servant."

Look at one more passage in Matthew 10:34-38 to get a feel for the seriousness of Jesus' mission:

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

If Jesus came to bring a sword, we too at times will need to employ the sword. If Jesus said that serving Him would at times require the forsaking of family relationships, we need to be prepared to sacrifice even our closest relationships for the sake of His glory. If Jesus said our discipleship would involve the carrying of a cross (a medieval instrument of torture), then we should expect discomfort at the least.

The severity and harshness of Jesus' earthly mission was meant to set an example for our earthly mission.
A followed example.
Ouch.

Savior AND Judge

I've been studying the book of Isaiah in-depth since October. In this Old Testament book, the awesome prophet Isaiah communicates many words of comfort and hope to the people of Israel. And, since Christ has died and made a way for we "Gentiles" to also be among God's chosen people, we can now all claim the promises that God made to Israel. We all, figuratively, are "Israel," and the wonderful promises given to Israel in the book of Isaiah are therefore ours to stand on! Promises like:

"The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces" Isaiah 25:8a

"I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:9b-10

"Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you." Isaiah 46:4

"I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..." Isaiah 49:15b-16a

However.......here's where I have a conflict.....
The bible study guide I've been using each day has posed this concept several times: All will one day face the Messiah, either bowing to Him as Savior or bowing to Him as Judge. Is Jesus your Savior or will He be your Judge. If He is your Savior, your eternity is secure and you have much to look forward to. If He is your Judge, however, you will be condemned to a torturous, Christ-less eternity.

I am bothered by this implication because of how it presents a Savior vs. Judge concept rather than a more accurate Savior AND Judge concept. Scripture is clear that we will all stand before Jesus to give an account for the way we lived; that we will all stand before Jesus to be judged. Yes, those of us who have trusted in Christ as Savior will be permitted into an eternity in heaven with Jesus, but not before we are judged for the content of our lives on Earth.

Shame on us when we cling-to and focus on the ooey-gooey, warm-fuzzy parts of scripture and ignore the hard, not-so-fun-to-think-about parts of scripture.

In closing, consider the following scriptures that indicate every Christian's appointment to one day stand before the Lord and receive just, eternal consequence for the ways that we spent our lives. If you'll pause to consider how you spend your time, your energy, and your money, the thought of such an appointment with our Savior and Judge may not be entirely comforting:

"For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each on may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10

"For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what He has done." Matthew 16:27

"All the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds." Revelation 2:23

Will We Be: A Self-Sufficient Church or A Desperate-For-God Church?

Lately I've been thinking and writing on materialism in the church and among Christians today. Materialism, as we have seen, pulls the full allegiance of our heart away from the Lord and attaches it instead to the temporary things of this world. Thus, we become self-centered, self-focused, self-fulfilled rather than centered on God, focused on God, and fulfilled in God. Such a centeredness on self, as I have experienced, reduces or eliminates our feeling hunger for God. We are self-sufficient and we tragically underestimate our desperate need for Him. We get busy - He gets left out. This ailment then translates into our churches. The church is darkly effected when its people are not desperate for the help, the guidance, the power, and the Word of God. We will cling to man-made ideals and man-made strategies rather than discovering the power and purpose that only God can deliver.


I'd like to share one more quote from the book I've mentioned lately - Radical - that touches on this concept: 


"We Christians.....have convinced ourselves that if we can just position our resources and organize our strategies....we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. But what is strangely lacking in the picture of performances, personalities, programs, and professionals is desperation for the power of God. God's power is at best an add-on to our strategies and good deeds.  I am frightened by the reality that the church I lead can carry on most of our activities smoothly, efficiently, even successfully - never realizing that the Holy Spirit of God is virtually absent from the picture. We can so easily deceive ourselves, mistaking the presence of physical bodies in a crowd for the existence of spiritual life in a community.... I long to be part of a scene where we refuse to operate in a mind-set dominated by an American dream that depends on what we can achieve with our own abilities. A scene where we no longer settle for what we can do in our own power. A scene where the church radically trusts in God's great power to provide unlikely people with unlimited, unforeseen, uninhibited resources to make his name known as great. I want to be part of that dream!.... It doesn't matter how many resources the church has. The church I lead could have all the man-made resources that one could imagine,  but apart from the power of the Holy Spirit, such a church will do nothing of significance for the glory of God....His power is so superior to ours. Why do we not desperately seek it?"

Radical

Please consider these words from Radical, by David Platt:

A relationship with Jesus requires total, superior, and exclusive devotion. If you follow him, you abandon everything - your needs, yours desires, even your family. Biblical obedience (rather than the church-going, rules-keeping that we like to call "obedience") will require that we abandon all that would hinder. "Give up everything you have, carry your cross (an instrument of torture), and hate your family." This sounds a lot different than "Admit, believe, confess, and pray a prayer after me." Jesus called his disciples to abandon their careers. They were reorienting their entire life's work around discipleship to Jesus. Their plans were being swallowed up in his plans. Ultimately, Jesus was calling them to abandon themselves. They were leaving certainty for uncertainty, safety for danger, self-preservation for self-denunciation. Lets put ourselves in the shoes of these eager followers of Jesus. What if I were the potential disciple being told to drop my nets and abandon my career? What if I were the disciple being told to embrace torture and suffering? What if you were the man whom Jesus told to not even say good-beye to his family? What if I were the disciple being told to hate my family and give up everything I had in order to follow Jesus? This is where we come face to face with a dangerous reality. We do have to give up everything we have to follow Jesus. We do have to love him in a way that makes our closest relationships look like hate. And it is entirely possible that He will tell us to sell everything we have and give it to the poor. But we don't want to believe it. We are afraid of what it might mean for our lives. So we rationalize these passages away. "Jesus wouldn't really tell us not to bury our father or say good-bye to our family. Jesus didn't literally mean to sell all we have and give it to the poor. What Jesus really meant was..." And this is where we need to pause. Because we are starting to redefine Christianity. We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bile and twist him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with. A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn't mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who is content with us gathering in our churches and spending thousands of dollars on nice buildings to drive up to, cushioned chairs to sit in, and endless programs to enjoy for ourselves. A Jesus who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, wants us to avoid danger all together. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream. But do you and I realize what we are doing at this point? We are molding Jesus into our image. He is beginning to look a lot like us because, after all, that is whom we are most comfortable with. And the danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the Bible. Instead, we may be worshiping ourselves. While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives to proclaiming the gospel, literally billions in need of the gospel remain in the dark. We desperately need to revisit the words of Jesus in scripture, listen to them, believe them, and obey them. We need to return with urgency to a biblical gospel, because the cost of not doing so is great for our lives, our families, our churches, and the world around us."

Jim Elliot and David Platt... On Materialism

In my last entry, I weighed the issue of enjoying one's possessions and finances as a blessing from the Lord vs. sacrificially giving one's possessions and finances to the work of the Lord. I'd like to explore that topic a bit more thoroughly...


Jim Elliot (1927-56) was a man who understood his God-given responsibility to use his life and resources for the work of the Lord: sharing Jesus with others. Elliot was convinced that God was leading him to an exotic indian tribe known for killing any outsider who tried to approach them. These Indians, the Huaorani, had never heard the gospel. Elliot and a few other men believed it was their responsibility to take the gospel to the Huaorani people. Elliot and his friends were speared-through and killed by the Huaorani before they ever had a chance to tell them of the love of Jesus.  In the days following the deaths, however, Elliot's wife would be a part of leading to Christ the very men who speared her husband. Since that day till now, the peace of Christ has come to reign in the Huaorani tribe. Jim Elliot's ultimate sacrifice made possible the salvation of natives who may have otherwise never heard the name of Jesus. 


Many criticized Elliot's decision to travel to the Huaorani people because of their violent reputation. They encouraged him to just stay in America and minister there. Before embarking on his missionary journey, Elliot wrote in his journal:


"Surely those who know the great passionate heart of Jehovah must deny their own loves to share in the expression of His....So what if the well-fed church in the homeland needs stirring? They have the Scriptures, Moses, and the Prophets, and a whole lot more. Their condemnation is written on their bank books and in the dust on their Bible covers. American believers have sold their lives to the service of Mammom (materialism), and God has His rightful way of dealing with those who succumb to the spirit of Laodecia."


The spirit of Laodecia that Elliot spoke of comes from Revelation 3:16-17. In this passage, God is disgusted with the church because they are lukewarm in their faith. They are lukewarm partly because their trust and hope is fixed in their riches and their possessions. As a result they do not experience a burning hunger and need for the Lord. They are wealthy and materialistic. Their materialism separated them from the Lord and the work that He had for them to do. 


Is your materialism separating you from the Lord? This is a question that I am asking myself very much lately. 


Radical, by David Platt, is a book that God is absolutely using to pierce me to the core right now. Platt says, "The war against materialism in our hearts is exactly that: a war. It is a constant battle to resist the temptation to have more luxuries, to acquire more stuff, and to live more comfortably. It requires strong and steady resolve to live out the gospel in the middle of an American dream that identifies success as moving up the ladder, getting the bigger house, purchasing the nicer car, buying the better clothes, eating the finer food, and acquiring more things." 


Yes, in the middle of immoral and materialistic America, you and I must choose to live out the gospel. That involves a forsaking of ourselves, our comfort, our possessions, and our finances in order to make disciples of Jesus Christ in all the world. That was Jesus' assignment to us. Many professing Christians will choose not to do this because of an attachment to their own comfort and luxury. And, as Elliot stated, "Their condemnation is written on their bank books." 


In closing, consider the following from Radical:

"The mark of Christ followers is that their hearts are in heaven and their treasures are spent there... We can switch the channels on our mega-TVs and continue our comfortable, untroubled, ordinary, church-going lives as if the global poor don't exist...Or we can open our eyes and our lives to the realities that surround us... Why not begin selling and giving away luxuries for the sake of the poor outside our gates? Why not begin operating under the idea that God has given us excess, not so we could have more, but so we could give more?"

Enjoying Money and Possessions vs. Sacrificing Money and Possessions

God owns everything - our lives, our time, and our money...

"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it...." Psalm 24:1

"'The silver is mine and the gold is mine,' declares the Lord Almighty." Haggai 2:8

God therefore commands us to be responsible stewards of all He's given us...

"It is required of a steward that one be found trustworthy." 1 Corinthians 4:2b

A responsible steward will have a detailed plan for their finances - their giving, saving, investing, debt repayment, lifestyle, etc. They will exercise self control over their finances rather than their finances controlling them...

"Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity." Proverbs 21:5

God desires for us to enjoy what He's given us...

put your "hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17

Yet God also calls us to a radical sacrifice of our lives and our money for the purposes of following Jesus and spreading the gospel...

"Sell your posessions and give to the poor." Luke 12:33

"Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:33

"No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to recived a hundred times as much in the present age...and in the age to come, eternal life." Mark 10:29-30

Lately, I feel so torn. God's Word must be the ultimate authority for my life, yet I see troubling truths in it. While there are passages that clearly talk about our enjoyment of God's material blessings in our lives, there are far more passages that command the abandonment, sacrifice, and giving away of earthly wealth and possessions so that Jesus' love may be extended to the lost and needy around us. Oh how I desire the wisdom and discernment to understand God's Word in this matter. Oh how I long to be obedient. I don't want to pursue stuff and in the process miss Christ and the unmatched pleasures that He gives to a life free from bondage to the possessions of this world. I don't want to miss eternal treasure because I settle for earthly trinkets!