He Wants It All

And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27 (NIV)

Since I was a child I always had a picture of me dragging a cross around for the rest my life in order to follow Jesus. This did not sound comfortable and I'm sure my teacher didn't mean to leave that impression, but that is what I believed. Maybe it was because of some bad teaching I experienced, but I believe Luke had something else in mind when he wrote that. I knew that following Christ would be burdensome and difficult, but somewhere in the mix I was definitely missing the point.

Our society, Christian and secular, have commercialized the cross. It has become a symbol that represents "religion" and not necessarily the lifestyle that Luke was eluding to. In Jesus' day the cross represented shame. You would not want to tell anyone that a family member was crucified. Crucifixion was reserved for criminals. The fact that Jesus was crucified with other criminals shows you what they really thought of Jesus. So basically you would not want anything to do with the cross.

I find it interesting that Jesus would tell people that if they wanted to follow Him that they would need to pick up their cross in order to be his disciple. What was He thinking? Did He not know that statement had the potential of turning off everyone who heard it. I struggled with this passage a bit and have come to this conclusion. In order for me to follow Christ I will need to do it with everything I have even the areas of my life that were dirty and shameful. I have known people (and at times have been the person) who only wanted to present God the positive things in my life. I figured that if I gave Him good stuff to work with then He could use me. The problems is that Jesus already knows all the shameful things about us. Until recently I did not realize that the things that have brought me the most shame in my life are the things that He can use to His glory. When we can share our struggles with others and how Christ is helping us overcome them then true discipling is possible. Those shames can be turned to strengths when they are given to the Great Physician who knows how to heal every illness. This is what allows us to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need "(Heb. 4:16). I get excited just thinking about this process.

Are you ready to give it all to Him?

A Dirty Story: A parable on Colossians 3:5-16

I love my clothes! They fit me comfortably and have been with me through many situations. Although no one says anything, I have worn the same clothes everyday since I was born. This may sound crazy, but they feel a part of me, and they define who I am. I am not sure that I would know what to do if I did not have my clothes.

I have a friend that I have known for years, but I have never been to his house. He has invited me over on several occasions, but I have never taken the opportunity to go. We talk a lot, but we have never met face to face. I believe that today will be the day that I will go over.

As I walk to his house, I begin to wonder if he will like my clothes. I know I look good in them, but I am not sure if he dresses like me at all. He is a very nice guy and accepting, but I wonder how our meeting will go today. I am very nervous about the whole thing.

I have been concentrating so much on our meeting together that I do not see the mud puddle in front of me. I fall face first into it and it hurts pretty badly. I am now covered from head to toe in mud. This would probably bother most people, but I will just wipe myself off and go see my friend.

My friend opens the door with a big smile on his face because he is so glad to see me. He goes to give me a hug, but cannot because I am covered with mud. He wants to embrace me and invite me in, but can’t because he has brand new white carpet. He tells me that he really wants us to spend some time together today, but because of my condition, it can not happen. I am disappointed, but have an idea. I run into his yard and strip off my old clothes so that I can enter his home. I approach him again with the hope of entering, but he once again denies entry. He says that he is excited that I took off my clothes, but the reality is that I am still dirty. I tell him that I understand his point of view and wonder if there is anything I can do to help this matter. He directs me to his shed where he provides a shower for me to cleanse myself and new clothes to wear since my old ones are soiled. I really do not want to take a shower or put on these new clothes, but by doing it, I can spend time with my friend and finally enter his house.

Well, my shower is quick, but I feel good after it. It is an awesome feeling to wash away the mud and dirt from my skin. I really want to put on my old clothes, but it just does not seem to make sense due to the recent shower. I begin putting the clothes on and quickly realize that they do not fit. I wonder why my friend would provide clothing for me that is not my size. Everything from my shirt down to my shoes is a little bit too big. I go ahead and put on all of my new clothes. I begin to stare at myself in the mirror and am excited to notice that I look handsome! I am amazed at the transformation that took place by something as simple as a shower and new clothing.

I eventually run back to my friend’s house and he runs out to embrace me. I go into his home and enjoy a wonderful afternoon with him. We fellowship together like we have never done before. I do not want to leave, but realize that I have to return to my home eventually. Before I left, my friend tells me that the clothes he gave me are special. He says that they are made with special material that can not be stained. He wants me to continue to visit him and to never take the clothes off. Although thankful for his gift, I am still bothered by the fact that the clothes are too big. My friend tells me not to worry about their size because over time I will begin to fit into them.

I know that I will always cherish the time that I spend with my friend. He is loving, respectable, and always has time to listen to me. He doesn’t always tell me what I want to hear, but he always tells me what I need. I am still overwhelmed by the gift that he gave me, and sure enough, I am slowly beginning to grow into those clothes.

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Practically speaking, Paul is telling us that our life outside of Christ is dirty and vile. Our lives are wrapped in so much sin that it basically clothes us. It is in this state that we cannot please God because He cannot come in contact with sin. By the process of being washed in the blood of Christ we are then clothed in Him. The lifestyle is now different because I am wrapped in the grace and love of Christ.

These new clothes will not fit us instantly because we are still used to our old lifestyle. The Holy Spirit begins to work in and with us to help us to grow into this new life.

In my personal life I have had to separate myself from influences that were associated with my old life. I hang out with new people, listen to new music, and entertain myself differently. I only do this so that my new life will fit on me. If I continue to practice the lifestyle of being “clothed in Christ” then I will begin to grow more like Him.