by David Brenneman
"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:1-8.
"What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." James 4:1-4.
What drives you? What really gets your motor running? What ambitions do you have? Indeed are there some areas of your life where you do indeed love this world more than you do your relationship with Jesus? To look at this world of Christians and non-Christian people it's incredibly sad and difficult to tell them apart at times.
The only thing separating both groups is the grace of God through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said that for those who wished to follow Jesus each would need to take up his own cross and follow Him.
Does your life show you taking up your own cross? Would there be, as it were, enough evidence to prove this about you?
Do your own personal desires take precedence over those of others?
Do you have intentional daily times with Jesus, both in prayerful conversation as well as time in His Word?
Do you actually try to do your best to balance living for Jesus and living peaceably with the world?
Thinking that you'll do enough to please Him and not upset your relationship with the world?
There's a common phrase known as burning the candle at both ends.
People don't think about the things that the Lord told Moses in the 10 Commandments as being relevant today. That those were for a much more uncivilized time. Guess they missed the facts.
Fact is, Jesus Christ said He's the same, yesterday, today and forever.
Fact is, Satan is a liar and the father of lies.
Fact is, pride took down Adam and Eve, still takes down people today.
Fact is, sins still happen today that happened 6,000 years ago.
Fact is, we've come to Christ for salvation, to be cleansed, washed clean. To not walk in those ways anymore.
Fact is...if adultery, idolatry and all the others mentioned in the Old Testament weren't still relevant, the Apostles wouldn't have still been writing about them in the New Testament.
Our sin nature is very crafty. Very cunning. Certainly very deceitful. It's almost limited by our own imagination.
To take up your own cross...I have mentioned this before that you really can't carry anything else. It's estimated that the cross Jesus had to carry weighed around 300 lbs.
Movies like "Back to the Future" made the phrase "that's heavy" popular again from the 1960's.
The weight of one world was on His shoulders on His way to be crucified. To take up our own cross...consider that the two thieves were probably carrying theirs right behind Him or in front of Him. There was nothing else they could carry.
On my best day, in my prime, I might be able to haul 250 lbs, dragging it across my back. There's absolutely nothing else crossing my mind when focusing on not falling down with that kind of load. The focus being getting to my destination.
What's your destination? Are you trying to carry the weight of this world with you as well as your own cross? Are you living for Jesus with all that you are? Striving to please Him in all that you do?
Look, this isn't about setting up people for a guilt trip. It's about the reality of the cross. The reality of the life in Christ that He desires for us. The reality that until we are letting go of this world we're going to struggle with our attempts at balancing a life in Christ and this world. He says to love not the world nor the things of this world.
Set your eyes on the prize. A runner sheds everything to be as fast as possible to win the prize.
Look around your 'kingdom'.
Do you see the vestiges of things of this world that conflict with His Word? Maybe it's time for the Spiritual Edition of "Hoarders". Time to clean up and clean out.
To make the room for the real Will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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