If you are a believer, why aren’t you “all in” for Jesus?” That was the question raised from our pulpit yesterday. In other words, why do so many of us hold some or most of our lives in reserve, not giving it all or submitting it all to Jesus? After all, Jesus is pretty clear about our priorities as believers:
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (Mt.10:37-39).
At our small group Sunday evening, we discussed that question. Just about everyone admitted that they were not all in for Jesus all the time. We talked about various reasons for our frequent hesitancy to be fully obedient … even when we know the Spirit is prompting us to some action or attitude. For some, it was the aggravating fear of man that seems to constantly plague us. For others, it was a lack of spiritual toughness because life in America has been comfortable and easy for the most part. Some had experienced great disappointment with God when life had been filled with losses and seemingly unanswered prayers and there was a reticence to trust him with everything again. It was pretty honest evening.
The other honest response echoed the words of the apostle Peter when Jesus asked if they would leave him as well as the crowds who had just departed. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn.6:68-69). As much as we struggle with fully trusting and being willing to put Jesus first in every circumstance, everyone wants to desperately hold on to Jesus and the Father through him.
As the discussion progressed, it seemed that the ultimate solution to our problem was to know the Father better. Paul prayed that God would give the Ephesian church a spirit of wisdom and revelation that they might know the Father better (Eph.1:17). In our fears and disappointments, we lack trust or take offense because we are not convinced of God’s love for us and his constant goodness that hovers over every difficult path on which we may find ourselves.
Jesus made an interesting response to men who had come from John the Baptist asking Jesus if he were the Messiah or if there was another to come. John had seen the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus at his baptism. John had declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. But John was in Herod’s prison and things were not working out as John had anticipated. He was beginning to wonder if Jesus was the One after all. Jesus pointed John to the miracles he had been performing and his preaching of the gospel but ended with the phrase, “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me” (Mt. 11:6, ESV).
Offended how? I think Jesus was saying that we might take offense when he didn’t act as we thought he should. He anticipated that he would often act in ways that we don’t understand or even approve of. We might feel betrayed or abandoned or simply disappointed by his choices. Why is one healed but not the other? Why is one married and the other still single after a thousand prayers for a loving mate? Why did God not intervene when missionaries to Syria were being tortured and crucified? Why did God not protect a young child from molestation or a young woman from rape?
Those questions raise doubts about God’s character, his sovereignty, and his ability to deliver on his promises. It is easy to take offense when we consider the evil in the world. To avoid the trap, I must maintain a view of the eternal – that what we experience will seem “light and momentary” (2 Cor.4:17) compared to what God has for us in eternity. Injustices on this side will be fully dealt with on the other side. Losses here will be compensated for there, in exponential terms. This isn’t the life God has for us – that life is in his eternal presence when Satan and his angels have been cast into the lake of fire. Our present suffering is storing up eternal blessings and joy that will eclipse anything we can experience now. We must keep an eye on the eternal to avoid judging God in the temporary realm we now know.
We must also believe in his character when we cannot see in the dark night of tragedy. There are times that I get up in the middle of the night and navigate my way through my house without lights or, at least, with very little light. I can do that because I have often walked that way when the sun is up and the lights are on. Memory shows me the way in the dark times. I need to trust the character of God that I have experienced in the good times to navigate through the dark times believing that no one has rearranged the furniture. He is the same God who has walked with me before, protected me before, and blessed me over and over before. His heart toward me has not changed because he has not changed.
When I get eternity in my heart and am convinced of the goodness of God toward me, then I can be “all in” for Jesus. Ask God, persistently and passionately, for a continuing revelation of those two realities. Ask him to speak those realities to our hearts in every possible way. I believe that is the path to where we want to be. Be blessed in Him today.
