I heard myself complaining about something yesterday. It made me realize how easily my inconveniences get classified as suffering and end up becoming a distracting. Following Jesus costs a lot more than I’ve ever had to give in this life.
(Hebrews 11:36-12:2)
I’ve spent all week trying this out as a way to somehow remember that “to live is Christ.” My hunch is that we’ll spend the rest of eternity understanding what that actually means (Philippians 1:21).
As it turns out, since life=Christ, life = serving others… even existing for others, just like Jesus. The old saying is true: it’s not about me.
Philippians 1:21-24
Sometimes we use phrases without catching the weight of their meaning, and “to live is Christ” is one of ’em. I pose three questions that help us get a little deeper on this profound mystery — not that I follow Christian principles, not that one of my attributes = disciple, but that “to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21).
They asked Peter “what do we do?” and he simply said “repent and be baptized.” Baptism is the sign/symbol that reminds us that we have died to our old nature and have put on the new. Our identity, our associations, our way of living and being — all are new in Jesus AND are being made new. Join me in this journey (Acts 2:37-38).
Water baptism is not an act of self-actualization. The ancient church viewed baptism as a public confession of both our associations and our severed ties. We’re saying our “yes” to Jesus and, thus, our “no” to Satan and the forces and systems of evil (Ephesians 2).
Psalmy asks God for His light and for His faithful care. Like a flashlight? Like a gift basket? No – it’s more than that. His light doesn’t stop, it goes somewhere. Have you ever thought about this? It’s a new idea for me today. Psalm 43:3
There comes a time in our faith where we let Jesus take us by the hand and just… go. We know He’s with us, we know any concern or worry is out of place, and we know the true joy of being truly ok. Psalm 16:8-11
Who or what do we look at in times of discouragement? Only Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Anything else is a counterfeit god that will always leave us empty.
Hebrews 12:1-3
We’ve confused convenience and truth. The truth of Jesus is not based on our comfort, our perception, on what’s popular, or what’s easy — following Jesus should be challenging for us. Jesus asks, “you’re not going to leave me too, are you?” (John 6:60-69)
(R) Adam Davidson 