Jesus all by Himself, part 2

We are on such power trips in our culture, and in the world. We rely on our military power, our freedoms, securities. Our heroes are powerhouses-soldiers, great sportsmen, politicians, musicians-all people with power and influence. Jesus had ultimate power and influence. What, exactly did He do with it? He set it aside. He counted it as nothing. He submitted Himself to suffering. Now that has my attention.

"Good Friday reminds us that we are not going to be helped by power, only by God's laying aside his power for love of us. Power forces us to change' only love can move us to change. Power affects behavior' love affects the heart. and nothing on earth so moves the heart as suffering love." Brennan Manning

We get so caught up in legislating morality-trying to change people by force. You can change behavior this way, but never the heart. The heart is what Jesus is all about. Suffering love-such a lovely but lost art. When is the last time you experienced someone give up their rights for you? Even let you in front of them in line? Held a door open for you? Better yet, when have you, or I, done this for someone else? Such small acts. Jesus gave his whole life-the living part and the dying part-for us. Suffering love. What am I willing to suffer so that people can know Him?

In our country, we are all about freedom, capitalism, free enterprise. Brennan Manning calls it the trinitarian god of consumerism, hedonism and nationalism. We worship these things, but these things are not what God values. We are greedy consumers-we must face it. The human heart is insatiable. What am I willing to give up? Even my freedom? No one can take my freedom in Christ. It is all I need. Why do we fight so hard for our freedoms that can be taken away? Why don't we fight for the one that can't? Freedom from sin. Why are we so caught up in politics and the economy? As if these things have ever saved us or ever could. "There is nothing new under the sun." Don't waste your breath-spend yourself for what really counts.

Albert Camus has said: "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very act of existence is an act of rebellion." There is nothing more maddening to the world than a free man or woman in Christ Jesus. (Brennan Manning). Wow. Think on that. Why are believers maddening? Because they are freed from the constraints that so bind the world: quest for money, power, position, freedom, rights. We can gladly give all these things up and STILL win. That must be maddening. Oh, that all would experience that level of freedom.

On Discipleship: "How did you respond to needy brothers and sisters? This is the reliable measure of discipleship." This was preached in our church this week. This is one of the reasons I love our church-they preach the word, truth, God's opinions-not man's. How do we respond to need? To the hurting? To the lost? To the messy? To the ones that make us uncomfortable?
"The heart of discipleship lies in commitment and worship, not reflection and theory." (Brennan) We are all about learning, studying, analyzing. But what do we do with it? Does it change the way we live? Our day to day actions? Our worship and knowledge of God?

"When a disciple lives his or her life wholly for God, walking hand in hand with Jesus for whom God is everything, the limitless power of the Holy Spirit is unleashed. God breaks through, miracles occur, the world is renewed, and history is changed."(Brennan) Then he goes on to say something that will ruffle the feathers of all who consider themselves American. Abortion and Nuclear Weapons are two sides of the same coin. Think long and hard about that. One kills babies. One kills everyone else. How can we as Christians stand up against abortion and not against war? Stepping on toes, I know. My dad was in the military. This is heady stuff but it needs to be said. Jesus was all about peace. There is a time for war-but only God's war-only on His terms and led by His army. He has only called us, His believers, to love, peace and the laying down of our lives for others. My oldest daughter went so far as to say if someone broke in and attacked her, she would not kill them if she could-they may not know Christ-she would not want them to die and go to hell-she would rather die, knowing full well where she is headed. Now, that is Jesus' love-right there.

I wrote in a facebook note about the beautiful Dominique Voillaume. I will not relate his story here but it had me weeping. This man knew how to love like Jesus. "His simple witness lay in accepting others as they were without questions and allowing them to make themselves at home in his heart." (Brennan) Oh my goodness. Lovely. Make themselves at home in his heart? I could chew on those words for a long time. What, exactly does that look like? The woman at the well? The leper Jesus touched? The woman with 12 years of bleeding (read the Jewish laws on uncleanness)? The woman caught in adultery? The disciples, even Judas the betrayer? All made themselves at home in Jesus' heart-His HEART-the seat of all love! Such a beautiful concept. I want that so much. To have people feel that they have a home in my heart-no matter what baggage they bring along. Oh my.

Dominique never tried to impress anybody' never wondered if his life was useful or his witness meaningful. He never felt he had to do something great for God. (Brennan) "If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my word and witness. If he wants it to, my life will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is his concern, not mine. It would be indecent of me to worry about that." (Dominique). Indecent. When I concern myself with the usefulness of my life-it is indecent. To even consider it is self-focused. This man had seven thousand people attend his funeral. His life was indeed useful and he was not even aware.

Lastly, "There are certain questions every Christian must answer in utter candor. Do you hunger for Jesus Christ? Do you yearn to spend time alone with him in prayer? Is he the most important person in your life? Does he fill your sould like a song of joy? Is he on your lips as a shout of praise? Do you eagerly turn to his memoirs, his Testament, to learn more of him? Are you making the effort to die daily to antying and everything that inhibits, threatens, or diminishes your friendship? The call of Jesus,is not 'Come to a prayer meeting', but 'come to ME.'