Living or Dying

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sins as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." (Romans 6:12-13)

Dying as a Christian is an easy thing. In fact, every Christian that has ever existed has an appointment for the end of their earthly life. If someone were to walk up to me with a gun and tell me to renounce Jesus as my Lord and Savior there would be no consideration of such an action. Perhaps even the temptation to plead for him to send me to my heavenly home would be present. However, dying to myself daily is a much greater and more painful task. Denying those desires our bodies for the sake of proclaiming the gospel is simple, but not easy. When i'm walking by restaurant knowing there is money enough in my pocket to grab something to eat: Do i satisfy that desire immediately or do i hold to a budget that will allow me to by more tracts, or Bibles, or food for the hungry.

Further on in Romans 12 Paul encourages us to present our whole bodies as a living sacrifice, but here his encouragement is concerning the individual members of our body.

What parts of your body are you needing to reckon unto righteousness?

Your eyes? - What are you looking at?

Your ears? - What are you listening to allowing it to affect your mind?

Your tongue? - Are your words gloomy, hurtful, uncaring, or encouraging and full grace?

Your feet? - Where are you going and spending your time?

Your tummy? - Are you controlled by the desire to say "yummy in my tummy"?

These are each necessary and interesting issues to pay attention to. In my life the Lord has dealt a great deal with the issue of eating. Deciding to eat rather than to minister. Really there is a selfishness that we are all getting over each day. That is what we call 'dying to self'. The separation of our desires from our flesh and directed toward the heart of God.

So the challenge comes with piercing strength in these words:

So he died for his faith

That's fine, most of us do

But say, can you add to that line

That he lived for it too?

Hearing his Voice

Luke 10:38 begins the portion where Martha and Mary are visited by Jesus. Mary is found at the feet of Jesus and Martha is found preparing a meal. So often we discredit what Martha was doing. However what she was doing was a good thing, but the issue was when she was doing it. It would have been much better if she would have first sat at the feet of Jesus to see what he wants to eat and then get to work. Much more important that she hear from her Lord.

Lately, since school has begun this semester, i have felt like i've been 'spinning my wheels'. The picture there is a high-powered car using an incredible amount of fuel, creating lots of smoke, but going nowhere. Through awesome friends and pastors the Lord has been helping me to take a step back and evaluate what i'm doing. Is it effective? Is it hindering me from being faithful to what I know he has called me to do? Have I been spending time at the feet of my Lord waiting to hear exactly what he wants me to do rather than just doing good things on my own. No doubt those things were godly, but they were not what God wanted specifically for me to be doing any longer.

Thankfully, He has arranged the circumstances to allow these things to slowly untie. Cutting a rope hurts, and i don't want to hurt people. However if i keep going this way i will never be able to be faithful to anything; thus it must be carefully untied. Herein our gracious Lord which we all serve has led me to fade out of the teaching on Wednesday nights as well as the attendance of that church. He has been ever gracious in helping me learn to be faithful as such an end has been my prayer.

The meeting with the new pastor at the church where the Lord has allowed me to teach went amazingly smooth-- a certain divine appointment. Neither was there much disheartening at the announcement to the group the Lord has allowed me to teach. Praise to him for working sovereignly in their hearts.

Where do i go now? Well, when God told Abraham to go he didn't say where, and neither has he yet told me. Nonetheless, i know this: i have heard from God and he said, "Go," so i will go.

In life and in ministry we must simply (though not necessarily easy) listen for the voice of God. For "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God". When we hear from God let us align it with the Word of God. Then when we know we have heard from him we do not delay, but when we have not heard it is better that we rest in him and wait until he says, "Go".