Radical 2

I want to zero in on of the most radical challenges Jesus makes: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Do you find that statement disturbing? His first followers did! Jesus had just acknowledged that he was God’s promised “Messiah” or Savior, but that rather than be promoted to National Leader, he forewarned them that he was going to be rejected and executed. His radical challenge is that, if I’m going to be a Christ follower, then I must Live for God first, not me first. Jesus says that God’s reputation, God’s agenda, and God’s will take priority over mine; it's what he was driving at in his directions on prayer (Matthew 6:9-13); in effect: if you’re gonna follow me you must give God the final say-so in your life, and give His agenda center-stage in your priorities and pursuits. It’s shown most fully when Jesus prays just prior to his arrest when he says “Father, I don’t want to endure execution, if at all possible, yet not my will, but yours be done. And Jesus challenges each of us to live with radical abandon of ourselves to God’s care, no matter what the outcome. He says: "I tell you not to worry about your life… Don’t worry and ask yourselves, "Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?" Only people who don't know God are always worrying about such things. Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these. But more than anything else, put God's work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well. (excerpts: Matthew 6:23-33, Contemporary Eng. Version)" He warns you not to be preoccupied with your wants and needs –in your prayers, your priorities, in the practical ways you live life; to move off of self-center: look beyond yourself, live beyond yourself. Case in point: Jesus told a young, wealthy, conservative Jew who asked him what must I do to get to heaven? Jesus says: "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." How would you respond if someone told you, or your successful, young adult child to do that? “ We’d say: don’t listen to that guy, he’s crazy! Don’t hang around with him!
Here's a couple of diagnostic questions: Are my needs, my agendas the primary things I pray about? I think & worry about? I’m consumed with? If so, then Jesus challenges me to radically change my orientation in life: from me first, to God first. For you & I, that certainly translates to living a whole lot more generously, and sacrificially than we do. It begins with simple trust that God can and will meet your needs IF you'll look beyond them to focus on His agenda, and others' needs... if you can muster the courage to trust God to meet them as you put them on the back-burner in life. "Radicalize my trust in you, Jesus!"