The Question 010 | Everything

For the Glory of God | Everything

"There are far, far better things ahead 

than any we leave behind." 

-CS Lewis

The glory of man is that God has chosen us as vessels of His spirit, with which we can be filled and are only fulfilled by Him. The tragedy of man is that we try to fill ourselves with anything and everything but God- work, money, sex, admiration- all of which have their place but all of which make terrible gods. 

We as individuals intrinsically praise and elevate, we have no choice but to worship. However, we have the choice of who and what we will worship, and are made free to bear the consequences of those choices. 

Chesterton once wrote in his book Orthodoxy that "When you choose anything, you reject everything else." By choosing to do absolutely anything, we absolutely refuse to do everything else we could potentially do with the same resources, time, and energy available to finite being such as ourselves. Whether in word or deed, consciously or subconsciously, with every breath we choose to worship Something. What will that be? Is that god enough to fill you? Or are you just "playing house" with your life? Who is your god, and are you willing to give everything for it? Because that's what worship is. 

Worship is choosing One Thing, and giving up everything else. 

Following Jesus costs absolutely nothing and yet requires everything you have. He does not respect status, whether high or low, whether great or small. All stand on level ground in the presence of God.

When Jesus calls a few poor fishermen to be his disciples in Luke 5, the text says that they "left everything and followed him." Later in that same chapter, Jesus calls out to a wealthy tax collector to come with him, and the man "left everything and followed him." 

Everything? Even...(fill in the blank)? To this, Jesus answers "Yes. Everything."

In the 9th chapter of the gospel of Luke, Jesus says this to one of his followers who is on the fence about whether or not Jesus is worth following. 

"No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:60 ESV) 

I'm the type of person who likes to look back. I'm also the type of person who is hesitant to plow straight ahead. I like to look at the angles, to examine the options, to figure out the best thing to do socially and financially. But if I'm honest, social standing and financial security are pretty fickle gods to worship. The same goes for friendship, safety, and success. 

But I believe in my soul that God is worth more than everything I could ever offer. 

The Question

What are you willing to give up for more than everything?

The Question 009 | Breakfast

For the Glory of God | Breakfast

In John 21, Jesus appeared to His disciples while they were fishing. He called to them from the shore and when they came to him, he had prepared a breakfast of fish and bread on a little campfire in the sand. Jesus reached out to his disciples through cooking them a simple breakfast. 

The peace and transformation that Christ brings does not stop with the cross or the tomb or even with the resurrection. The resurrection is not the end of the story, no, it is the beginning of our new story. The new story is more real than our past and more tangible than our pain. 

Jesus changes everything, even the way we do breakfast. 

Think about it. What if Jesus didn't just come to redeem your sin and win but also to redeem your breakfast? What if we, as followers of Jesus, used breakfast as a holy place, a place where we consciously pursue Christ? 

The meals we share are how we spend a lot of time, usually a few hours a day, and I think they are one of the quickest, most effective ways to grow closer to those around you. Can you cook or bake? Do you have the financial ability to buy a meal to share with others? Then do so. 

Give generously in the name of Jesus. Go out into the world and love the people you will find there, those who are hungry and those who thirst. 

After their breakfast was done, Jesus asked Peter "Do you love me?" 

Peter answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." 

And Jesus tells him this: "Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep...Follow me." 

When Jesus is giving away food, performing miracles, and promising that the Kingdom of God is near, it is really easy to believe in him. When Jesus sacrifices himself in your place, it is simple to love him. 

When he asks you to follow him? 

To let go of what you've followed before and to take hold of him? 

What then? 

The Question

Are you willing to follow Jesus? 

To what end?