Sold out for Christ

My time with the Lord this morning was so good I needed to share. I pray this blesses you and meets you as richly as it has me. God is so faithful to meet each of us, he just asks us to come. 

Matthew 20:16

"So the last will be first, and the first last."

ESV Study: A disciple of Jesus should not measure his or her worth by comparing it with the accomplishments and sacrifices of others, but should focus on serving from a heart of gratitude in response to God's grace.

Isaiah 40:30-31

"Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Joy in Rejection by Lydia Brownback

"Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name." Acts 5:41

     "'She's one of those Christians,' we might overhear after rolling our grocery cart past neighborhood acquaintances in the canned goods aisle. What about us stands out as distinctly Christian so that others know it about us, even if they do not know us very well personally? It's good to be singled out as a Christian because we exude joy. It's not so good if we are the only ones on the block who darken our homes and refuse to answer the door on Halloween. Too often we get caught up in trying to look Christian rather than trying to be Christian. Even when we do stand out for reflecting Christ in a winsome way, not all our neighbors are going to like us. Some will hate us all the more, as Paul made clear: "We are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life" (2 Cor. 2:15-16). 

     The most joyful women I know are those most involved in serving others. No matter who likes or hates us, joy comes from living for something [someone] beyond ourselves. That's why, all through the book of Acts, we see the apostles rejoicing in the midst of horrendous difficulties. Their joy in life wasn't contingent on how well things were going personally or on how much people liked them; their whole reason for living was to spread the good news of God's love in Christ Jesus. In Acts 5 we read that they were arrested for preaching the gospel. The council decided to beat them and then let them go. Afterward, we are told, "they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name." 

     When was the last time we rejoiced at suffering dishonor for the sake of our faith? Sooner or later, we are going to be rejected for our faith by a neighbor or a family member or a friend. We might lose a job because we bear the name of Christ, or experience ridicule at work because we believe. We understand such rejection as the persecution Jesus promised all who follow him, but to rejoice at it like the apostles did? That's another story. How were they able? It wasn't because they were super-Christians. It's because they were so completely sold out to Christ that nothing mattered except him. Suffering? Great, so long as it meant they were associated with Jesus. Blessing and prosperity? Bring it on, so long as it meant God would be made more visible in their lives. God was their overarching purpose, which is why the apostles were always joyful. 

     The extent of joy we know is the measure of how sold out we are."

I hope you all have a blessed day!