Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!”
Lost!
My wife and I are have become hooked on Lost, the television saga of those who survived a plane crash on an almost invisible island.
The island has mysterious properties that add a tinge of sci-fi to the adventure. But the core story line unfolds the life stories of people who were lost long before they crashed.
Most of us are fixated on finding ourselves and living a life loyal to that self understanding, no matter where it leads us. Our self defined identity becomes our north star, our one fixed point of reference that guides us on our journey through life.
So, for example, if we understand our personality as assertive or passive we tend to settle into patterns of relating defined (and often confined) by those qualities. Seldom, if ever, are we willing to sacrifice that self identity. We do the same with self understanding rooted in our culture, sexual orientation, and core values.
“It’s just who I am.” “I’ve got to be me.”
There is truth in discovering and living within our self understanding, but not the whole truth. Self understanding is only the first step for persons interested in real freedom. Jesus offers the step too few risk taking because it can be painful and intimidating. Living in our boxes of self-made realities provides a faux freedom without the risk and without the reality. Much like the characters on Lord before the crash.
Jesus calls us to sacrifice our selves for him. Loyalty to him must be the one reality that trumps our own self understood reality. Commitment to his message must be the fire that finally forges the shape and purpose of self. For Lost fans, John’s relationship to the island reflects this truth.
Only in this giving over of self will we ever hope to find the freedom to engage life to the full, to enjoy the brilliant realities of the Kingdom of God.
King of my life, as I grow to better understand who you made me, I will turn that new self-understanding right back to you. You be the final word in shaping who I am rather than my own limited understanding. - Mike Leamon
As
hamed of JesusThe words of Jesus cut like a knife. If you are ashamed of Jesus he will be ashamed of you when he returns in glory. This coming immediately after Jesus has just rebuked Peter for opposing God’s plan for Jesus’ life. The words must have rung in Peter’s ears again when the rooster crowed the morning Jesus was put to death.
I know what it is to feel ashamed. I admit it, I have been in circles of people where I cared more about what they thought of me than what God did. I recall one conversation when I was first starting to referee basketball. I was talking with an official who was not a believer and he asked me a question about my life. This was a perfect opportunity for me to share my faith, but I did not. Instead I redirected the conversation away from my life of faith to something trivial. I was ashamed of the gospel.
Thankfully, God does not abandon those who fail the shame test. As my relationship with Christ grew stronger, I realized I was living for the wrong people. I now strive to live every day for Christ not others, but it is still hard sometimes. It is easy to get swept up in what others think.
I am glad for the picture John gives us of Jesus and Peter after the resurrection where Jesus restores Peter. Those who have been ashamed have not been forgotten. Peter is restored and I am sure he would say with Paul, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power unto salvation.” That is my prayer, my proclamation.
Jesus, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for I do believe it is the power unto salvation and have experienced that power in my life. Help me to stand strong when others ridicule your name, even at the expense of my reputation with those people. - Dan Jones
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