At passion we sang a song with the words “like a bride waiting for her groom, we’ll be a church ready for you, every heart longing for our king, we sing even so come. Lord Jesus come….”
20.000 college students sang this as a cry to the lord. but my question now is, is that the true desire of our hearts? That we long for the Lord to come and come soon. we as a generation are procrastinators.
Have you ever stopped and thought about how rarely we are forced to give up options? We live in a generation that never closes a door completely, we wait until the last second to give up our choices. Like for example, we have 87k different drink options we can choose from at Starbucks, you can literally make any drink you want. We as a generation love options, we hate commitment and avoid making decisions. When did it become okay or even expected that we don't have to decide? You see as Christians this option thing isn't really a thing, once we have decided to follow Jesus, there is no turning back. [Like that children’s song from church, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, No turning back.]
John Piper and Christine Caine both talked about this some. As i stated in a previous post John Piper spoke on the beauty of the gospel, that the gospel is less about a decision and more about being sight being restored to the blind. He says that the beauty of the gospel is the Light of the Glory of Christ. We have to see the beauty, the awe, the glory before we can ever decide. Because here is the thing once you see that beauty, there is no decision, we understand that we are created to bring more glory to Jesus. See that little children’s song is more true than we know, once our eyes are opened and we decide to follow Jesus, there is no turning back; there simply cannot be. Let me put it this way, we used to be dead, DEAD, and Jesus laid down his perfect life for us, he took our sin and shame and defeated it. Because of Jesus we are ALIVE, this life is no longer ours but his. So then what other choice would we have but to live our everyday for the advancement of God’s glory?
In 1 Kings 19:1- 20 we see Elijah in a crisis of faith, he has just killed all the prophets of Baal with the Lord’s help but he has gotten word that Ahab and Jezebel want him dead so he flees in fear. It is like he has forgotten all that the Lord has done in and through him. Elijah spirals into depression, but the Lord renews him, the Lord provides for him both physically and spiritually. See in this moment of Elijah losing hope God comforts him in saying that he has brought up someone to take over this work Elijah had struggled with. Here is one of the important parts, God tells Elijah to go back where he came from, because the Lord usually uses what we are running from for his greater will. So Elijah returns to find Elisha working, plowing. Elijah passes his cloak unto him and Elisha stops what he is doing and follows Elijah. The Lord will use people who are already working, he wants us to be willing to not receive the glory, and he wants us to join his work now.
Here is my point, we can say we follow Jesus all we want, but God isn't impressed by our words, he isn't impressed by our Savior complex, he isn't even impressed by our good works. God love for us is constant, he loves us the same yesterday today and tomorrow. God however does want to use us, he wants works in his harvest, not people looking to receive praise and glory, but willing to plow the fields behind cattle. Following Jesus isn't a glamorous thing, but being a part of glorifying the Lord is greater than anything else.
Earlier i pointed out that our generation is a generation of non committal procrastinators. let me quote Christine Caine in saying that the Lord often uses those already working, willing to get their hands dirty. We love the praises we receive and we love to save the day. But the truth is the world doesn't need a Savior or a hero because there was one, and he has already finished the work. Our job is to be a vessel, a servant, a worker to bring his name to the ends of the earth. This isn't a job for tomorrow or for someone else, but for each of us. If we want to call ourselves a follower of Christ we have to realize that we are not costars with Christ but simply supporting roles.
I think that sometimes we get so focused on being the next Billy Graham, or Louie Giglio, or whoever that we lose sight of what the goal is. the goal being to bring the gospel to all nations. We focus so much on what we can offer or what we are good at that we forget God is already working all we have to do is simply join in. We have to die to self and realize that we get the chance, we get the greatest honor, to bring glory to the name of Jesus. God doesn't get to use us, we get to be used by God and that is truly an honor. So join in, now, don't put it off any longer.
So let me summarize; when we see the beauty of christ, we decide to follow Jesus, no turning back. we immediately and completely take up our cross and follow him, when we do this we have to realize that we live to bring him glory, not ourselves. We no longer do anything for ourselves, because we were dead and now we are alive in christ.
My prayer is that my generation, our generation, stops being a me and mine generation and becomes a you and yours generation. May we be willing to put aside our desires and wants and live whole heartedly for the pursuit of the gospel, so that our prayer can truly be “even so come, Lord Jesus come.”
Matthew 9:37-38 “Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Jesus heard from his father “well done good and faithful servant.” not well said.
WELL DONE!
I guess that means we need a little more working and a little less talking, as our time on earth is short. We can be a generation who lives on mission, showing each other and every person in the world what it looks like to be lit up by the light of Christ.
