"If I get killed,
If I get killed,
Please don't bury my soul.
Just leave me out and let the buzzards come and eat me whole."
Geechie Wiley
To live is Christ and to die is gain
Phillipians 1:21
Death. It never happens when we expect it. We've all lost loved ones that we thought left us far too soon. But as scripture tells us, our life is but a mist. So often when we lose our loved ones, we call it a tragedy. Death isnt the tragic end of life. The tragedy is a wasted life. A life pursuing our own desires. A life ruled by our emotions. A life apart from God. Or, and I hope this hits close to home, a life not fully and completely submitted to Christ. Anything else is a waste.
In my life, I often looked at those that I deemed to have it all figured out and thought to myself, that I could never attain what they have attained. I could never be the spiritual giant that some of my heroes were. Guys like Will Kropf, Steve McNees, Jon Rape, and Justin Hipps just seemed to have something in their relationship with Christ that I did not have. Sisters like Stacy Hill and Tory Cheatham seemed to have a passion that I couldn't seem to produce. Having been around them for extended periods of time, I saw real faith being lived out in daily situations. Then it dawned on me. I loved Christ. I served Christ. But I was not fully and completely submitted to Him. I held onto things that I did not want to give up. I flirted crossing the line of sin and left Satan a foothold in my life that prevented me from growing closer to my Lord, and ultimately led to fall. This was the difference! I often found myself forsaking Christ to chase lovers less wild.
When looking at the words of Paul, he says "to live is Christ." To be fully devoted to the submission to the will of God. That should be our one goal. Our one focus. Our one passion. Everything else in life is meaningless and trivial in comparison to knowing Christ. So let us crucify our flesh, take up our crosses and follow Christ in full submission. Only then will we be able to say that death is gain.
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It's interesting the different perspectives people can have on each other. Despite my outward conformity, I always thought that you had more passion than I did. It seems like there are so many elements of faith that one cannot master them all. We look good on the outside and do good deeds, or we have unshakable faith without doubt, or we really "feel the presence" of the Holy Spirit, ad infinitum. It is certainly a good thing that we do no have to keep each of these rules. I think I've only got one two down anyway...
ReplyDeleteJason, I always thought you had plenty of passion...just mis-directed. I often wondered what your life and the world around you would look like if your passion was focused on Christ. I don't think that passion for Christ is something that we can produce...only through abiding in Christ, knowing Him more, and seeing our character conformed to His. Thank you for your kind words and your encouragement at a time that it is much needed.
ReplyDeleteTory