"If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men" (1 Corn 15:9)
(Katie) If you woke up tomorrow, and found out that there was in fact no resurrection, how would you feel about the life that you had chosen to live?
Dr. Setran's question tonight absolutely rocked me. If you are like me, your initial response to this question will be to immediately start justifying the life that you've chosen through a list of values or virtues that are manifested in your life. Our list of virtues compiles and for most of us, in our final analysis, we would argue that YES we've lived our life quite well.
I was feeling good until I had to wrestle with Paul's words, particularly his description of Christians as being "pitied" more than all men. Set our list of virtues aside. Yes, I've loved well, but can I (we) say this? Can you look at the life that you are currently living and say..."if only for THIS LIFE, I have HOPE in CHRIST, I am PITIED MORE than all men." Does your life reflect this?
If you're reading this blog, you most likely are similar to me in that you would consider yourself a follower of Jesus. You probably are actively involved in a church. You probably have a substantial Christian Resume that you secretly pride yourself on. My friends, we have MISSED it. We are called to live RADICALLY. We are called to count the COST of forsaking everything to follow Christ. We are called to be PITIED...to SUFFER. In what ways are you choosing to live your life in such a way that you CHOOSE to SUFFER for Christ?
We are to be PITIED more than all men.
As Philippians 2: 5-7 says:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
These verses reveal two of Christ's actions, primarily that in His humiliation (pity), He made himself "nothing." 'Nothing' in this passage literally means "emptied himself." When I think of Christ emptying himself in this context, I think of it as Him choosing to give up His glory. How often do we choose to empty ourselves of receiving the glory?
Secondly, Christ was "obedient to death," even "death on a cross." This implies that Christ voluntarily chose humiliation. If we really call ourselves Christ followers, in what ways do we daily chose the path of humiliation? The harder question is if following Jesus required you to experience such substantial humiliation, would you still choose to follow him?
Are you willing to be transformed into Christlikeness...to abide with Him in the deeper places of suffering and pity? To empty yourself of the need to receive the glory?
Look at your current life? Is there a COST to the life that you are choosing to live as a proclaimed follower of Jesus? What is the COST?
As Christ followers, our lives should RADICALLY reflect that the COST of suffering is WORTH knowing Jesus.
What is Christ really WORTH to you?
Look at your current life? Is there a COST to the life that you are choosing to live as a proclaimed follower of Jesus? What is the COST?
As Christ followers, our lives should RADICALLY reflect that the COST of suffering is WORTH knowing Jesus.
What is Christ really WORTH to you?
[James] Beloved - I love your fire and passion for Christ and I love the tension that you raise through this passage. I cannot help but think of all that I have been reading about Mother Theresa's life who, even to the point of death was choosing the radical ways of Jesus even when she experienced little-no joy in her inner life. What faith she must have held to continue, holding onto the promise that her inheritance and joy was not on earth but awaiting her in heaven.
ReplyDeleteI know that through this season we have been called crazy and foolish by so many and to us it has been our own sharing in His suffering, but through that we have experienced fellowship with Christ in new ways and intimacy with each other and other radicals along the way.
Now, I also present Jesus' words of John 10:10 "I have come to bring life, and life to the fullest." There is a certain tension that exists in the scripture between suffering and joy. I would like to say two things.
First of all, I do not believe that Jesus calls us to be massacists for pains sake as if that is the aim of life. I believe that Christ and the Kingdom are our aims and if pain comes in that pursuit, to God be the Glory! For we know that Jesus didn't die on the cross believing He would not see tomorrow. Paul was right in saying, if there is no resurrection-no hope of eternal life, than our efforts are in vain! We should choose self-indulgence, the path of lest resistance, and the avoidance of pain.
2. I would also say that there is a tipping point in which our suffering and the fellowship of that suffering becomes Joy, just as James 1 would indicate. In moving here, as painful as a process as it was to leave so many familiarities behind and to sacrifice so many assurances, we have found that God's provision and the community of fellow believers to be more sweet than the community of complacency. Another example, the small sacrifice of giving up things like a tv; in order to protect purity of eyes and to promote conversation and deep fellowship brings with it more Joy in the long run.
"Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus."
I was reading today again in Hebrews 12:2. "So let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and who was seated at the right hand of the Father."
No person who loves us would hope that the Joy that comes from Jesus would have to wait till after we die. And I pray that we will experience Joy in our present life along with the sufferings of Christ. It is core to my belief that the Kingdom of Heaven is coming AND is already here among us, and too the Joy of that Kingdom is not set aside for only a later day...
but will not be experienced without sharing in the sufferings of Christ.
"If we are children, then heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings that we may share in His glory." -Romans 8:17
"If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us."
-2 Timothy 2:12
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