I heard a song the other day by Micheal Olson called, "Give My Life Away." It talks about Jesus giving His life away for us...then the song takes a turn and challenges the listener about giving their own life away for Jesus...
Surrender it all...Pick up our crosses and follow Him.
I'm reading the gospel of John right now and the way that He and others in this book talk to and about Jesus is captivating to me. Their words are spoken with a sense of awe and wonder of their Messiah. Being around the Savior just made them yearn for so much more. They wanted to give their lives away and follow Jesus.
They have nothing, yet gain everything....
There are costs they pay, yet they receive the sweetest of rewards...
What an example of living for Christ. Give everything away, expecting nothing in return...knowing there are prices to pay, but trusting Christ's word. This is such a challenge to me. It has been something that has been on my heart a lot lately. How do I view my Savior? Am I willing to give my life away? I desire to live my life that way, but am I truly willing to sacrifice everything? Even the things that mean most to me? Do I trust that He is worth it all?
I am a selfish sinner...desiring to live as Christ lived and love as Christ loves... surrendering daily my human desires and taking up my cross in order to follow my Messiah...my Savior.
I'm gunna to give my life away
expect nothing in return
if that's the price that I must pay
that's a lesson I will learn
with every breath I take
I'll take Jesus at His word
I'm gunna give my life away..
This is my prayer.
i just love this! it can become so easy to justify our unwillingness to jump forward in all that is asked of us as Christ-followers. we become so attached to our lifestyle and the people or things that have captured our heart. yet, it is so clear through your post that the LORD captures our hearts in a way that is completely unreal, it is simply a matter of whether or not we will allow him too.
ReplyDeletei love how you talk about the disciples' wonder and awe of their Messiah, as if they have this very real yearning and desire to simply BE in the LORD's presence. what a beautiful reminder of the way our lives should be lived...so compelled and captivated by Christ that we would be willing to lay down our lives for Him.
thanks for sharing your heart, my dear. i love you!
I remember Luke talking about something like this somewhat recently...It is easy to sit here and say that you will give up everything to follow Jesus when that threat (such a strong word) isn't present in the least...but I like to think of it, as you have here, in terms of that call coming to life...what if the Lord really did ask me to abandon every single thing I have in my life here to follow Him? Would I do it?
ReplyDeleteI know you're not directly addressing idolatry here, but it is definitely a concept tied closely with this one. I was listening to a podcast sermon by Mark Driscoll last week and talks about identifying your idols and provides a series of questions to help in the deciphering process:
What are you most afraid of losing?
What do you long for the most passionately?
Where do you run for comfort?
What do you sacrifice the most for in your life?
If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
Whose approval are you seeking?
If you had to get rid of all but one thing, what would that one thing be?
The answers to these questions are pretty indicative of an individual's personal idol. Your idol serves as your functional savior saving you from your hell.
The good news? Well, we are saved by Jesus, not ourselves. He saves us from hell, death, and satan...but He also saves us from ourselves.
When you put everything in Jesus, you can enjoy earthly things without elevating them to idols.
That is my prayer for all of us today...
Thank you for your inspiring words, my dear ally!