Learning to Give Up

The call of God on our lives is not always going to be easy. I know I keep saying that, but partly that's because I need to keep hearing it. I have a gravitational pull in my life (a black hole, if you will...) toward my comfort and the easy way. Jesus called out his followers a number of times, gently but firmly explaining that it will not be easy. When He told them to "Take up your cross and follow me..." that was not entirely a metaphor. Taking up a cross in Jesus' day meant going to your execution. It meant the ultimate sacrifice.

All but one of the 12 apostles of Jesus met with an untimely end, martyred for their belief in Jesus. They gave their lives for the cause of Christ, and did it willingly. Sacrifice is part of the call. You and I may not ever be asked to sacrifice our lives for the sake of God's kingdom, but we will be called to make other sacrifices. We will be called to give up our comfort, our convenience, for the sake of Christ and the sake of others. The way of Jesus is not the easy way.

I read Karl's blog about the band taking some time off. You can read it here. It will be a sacrifice for some to worship without the whole band. It is a sacrifice of time, energy and talent that we ask of the band, and I'm glad they are taking this time to clarify what they need to in order to serve all of us and, most importantly serve God with their talents.

Karl also mentioned fasting. Fasting is the act of going without something important (usually food) for a period of time in order to spend more time seeking God. I've done some fasting, and it's a great tool that God uses to straighten me out, fill me up, and point me in the right direction. I've fasted some the last couple months, and I intend to do it more in the months to come. It is a form of sacrifice - giving up something - that honors God. It says, "God, I need YOU more than I need food (or for those with dietary restrictions, something else that's important to you).

I'd like to ask that you look for the ways that God is calling you to sacrifice, and pray about whether or not you need to undertake a fast. Even skipping a lunch one day in order to pray (it's not really fasting if you skip a meal to catch up on work, it needs to be for prayer) would be a fantastic start. If you can't fast from food, fast from media (TV, radio, I pod, Internet, magazines, all forms of media), and trade that time for prayer time. Try it once and see what God does.

If you have medical questions about fasting, call your doctor. If you have spiritual ones, call the church office or email me. But see if over the next few weeks, you can find a time to fast and pray. Pray for whatever is going on in your life, in your heart, and feel free to pray for our church family and the move that God is making here right now. If you want to, you can let me know when you're fasting, and I'll be sure to pray for you (just don't post it on the blog, that's too public).

The verse that I repeat during a fast is Matt 4:4 - Man does not live by bread alone, but by ever word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. See if God has a word for you!