Who’s In Charge Here?

“Love God and do whatever you please” – St. Augustine

[Attribution Title Photo: Title Photo Source; CC 2.0]

When you enter in to a relationship with Jesus Christ, you enter into a friendship… a relationship sweeter than any we could ever know here on Earth. This is one of the most promising aspects of the gospel in the contemporary culture… but should it be the ONLY aspect of the gospel?

When a person has a “conversion experience” and gives their life to Christ, their natural reaction (as I have evangelistically found it) is to ask “OK.. so… Now what?”. We teach them that they are TOTALLY FREE in Christ… that they’ve been SET FREE from the bondage of sin. So when the Israelites were set free from the bondage of Egypt, where did they go? What direction did they start heading? Lord knows, they had plenty of directional options in the desert before them, as they exited the majestic city gates. They followed where the Lord led, which wasn’t by any means easy.

What if one of those Jews decided he wasn’t going to follow the smoke and fire anymore; that he was going to head a different direction in the wilderness? Well, surely he was either perish or, at the very least, not go forward with God’s blessing.

So why is it any different in the Christian life today? Why is it that people have such an easy time accepting Jesus as their Savior, but such a hard time making Him their Lord… in EVERY area of their life? By people, I of course include myself. I still can’t sing “take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold” without straining not to choke on my own words. I still have a love for convenience and ease. I still have struggles with personal sins that seem to desire to take precedence over God in my life. We all do, which is why making Him our Lord and Master is not only difficult, but a continual work in our lives.

If it is THAT vitally important, why are so many churches NOT EMPHASIZING it? Why are they not offering opportunities to GROW? Sunday School is rapidly on the decline. Preaching is driven more toward our comfort rather than to our rebuke. Church discipline is lacking, for fear of offending someone. Personal commitment to the work of the church is not only un-demanded, it isn’t even asked for asked for (and don’t even get me started on tithes and offerings). Our personal comfort isn’t ever sacrificed in our relationship with God and we often seek to maintain some (if not all) autonomy in our life, at the cost of our fulfillment of God’s plan for that life.

You see, the problem with being in a relationship with Christ is that He knows you with an exhausting and intimidate knowledge (Psalm 139:3).You, on the other hand, do not know Him (even though, technically, you’re married to Him). You will spend the rest of this life, and on through eternity, getting to know Him better… and one of the first things you have to understand about Christ is that He is your Lord, not just your Savior. So why, then, are we called to submit to His Lordship? Because it is IN that submission… IN that humble obedience that He reveals Himself more deeply, and we are all the better for it. THAT is why Jesus tells us that if we love Him (relationally), we’ll obey Him (John 14:15).

Think about it.What is making Christ your Savior, and not your Lord, really saying about you? It’s saying that Christ’s work on the cross is sufficient enough to redeem you, but not worthy of your full loyalty once you get your “golden ticket”… your “fire insurance”. This begs the question “What did He redeem you FOR?”.  We know what He redeemed your FROM. What did He redeemed you FOR (or unto)? Well, first understand that the only reason you were redeemed was for God’s good pleasure. Once you understand that, understand that there’s a reason God didn’t suck you up to Heaven immediately at the point of your conversion.

Peter makes it clear that you were also redeemed so that you might “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). That knowledge of Him comes through our growth in Him, which can’t happen if He’s in the trunk of our lives and not the driver’s seat. I do realize these words carry with them a tone of personal discomfort or sacrifice. Peter says we are to grow in grace (which we have NO problem with) but ALSO in knowledge, which involves commitment to get to know Him.

The problems and pain that enter our lives are often ways of God to get our attention… to remind us that we’re not in charge… to show us that His plan is better. We’ve deviated from the recipe and then wonder why the dish tastes so bad. The key is to be relationally in love with Christ, even in the midst of the difficult times He leads us through. That’s why Paul can say that he has learned to be content in all circumstances” (Philippians 4:11-13).

In closing, aren’t you glad that Christ didn’t save you and leave you on your own? Rather, He said “Lo, I am with you always”. If He is always with you, He isn’t going to let you stay the same. So, therefore, it is only in obedience to Him and in seeking out that growth (in Him), which He desires for us, that we can truly grow and prosper. It is only there that we can find the grace and love of the gospel afresh every day. Only THAT love… the continual love of Christ… is a “love so amazing, so divine… DEMANDS my soul, my LIFE, my ALL”.

David’s blog can be found at http://thesingingshepherd.blogspot.com
David’s sermons can be heard at www.sewardcongregational.com