Matthew 16:24 “Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’” (KJV)
Energy Allotted Satisfying Yourself
It is
probably true; each preceding generation says of the next, “They just don’t
know how easy they have it.” Advancements in technology make our lives
increasingly easy. Comfort and convenience are two very strong motivators, but
have we stopped to examine the price we pay chasing the easy life?
We spend
vast amounts of time, energy and financial resources to ensure our comfort. We
seem to measure our commitment to every task based upon the convenience of its
accomplishment. We like things to be EASY.
When events in our lives do not seem to run as smoothly as we plan we question
every aspect of our lives, usually arriving at some level of doubt and
disbelief.
Where are
you right now? The question is not reflective of your physical location. It
seeks to expose your spiritual position and state of being. Personally I’m
facing the most difficult challenges of my life. Crises in my Pastoral
Ministry, aging parents with all the “joys” of declining health, and career
confrontations as an educator in the public school system, all converge to
create huge stress in my life. Oh, how I wish life could be EASY. The sheer pleasure of Energy Allotted Satisfying Yourself is not without appeal.
Strangely, that attraction is in direct opposition to following Christ. He
says, “deny” –– NOT “satisfy yourself”.
The conflict
between discipleship and the EASY
life drives us toward deeper dependence upon God and a feverish search of His
Word. Or, it pulls us into an ever-increasing spiral of destruction. Most often
we look for answers that will eliminate our discomfort, but the situations we
face are not new problems. Everyone — Prophets, Kings, Priests, and common
people throughout history have all wrestled with denying their desire for what
is EASY and had to balance the
demands of natural life with spiritual life. These verses from Isaiah may help
us understand and apply God’s answer to our dilemma. (Isaiah 49:3-4)
We search
for destiny and purpose. God answers our questions with a reminder that He is
Master of our destiny. He is using our lives to bring glory to His Name. We
make the counter point that all our hard work and sacrifice is worthless. We do
not see the value in anything we have done, yet we begin to accept that God is
keeping score –– not us. He will reward faithful service. Depression and
disillusion is a common problem in contemporary society. In my opinion, it is
worsened by the need for instant gratification, but God in His love holds the
solution.
God is
aware of everything that is going on in our lives and He will be glorified.
What we have done to advance the Kingdom Of God is the only thing that will
ultimately matter. Do not derail your life by accepting what comes EASY. Energy Allotted Satisfying Yourself will not bring about the glory of God and cannot result in
a Crown of Life. The cosmic clock is ticking away and time is at an end. Jesus
is coming and He is coming soon. The popularity or lack of popularity the
message holds does not enhance nor diminish its truth. We are not qualified to
judge our own lives. Our perceptions and expectations color our judgment, but
scripture says: (Revelation 22:12)
Faithfulness,
commitment, and persistence in service are to be valued and God will both honor
and reward them in us. We must overcome the tendency to go with the flow and
accept the path of least resistance. Often we measure our success or failure by
our evaluation of the lives of others. We mistakenly believe God ignores our
need.
Whatever
you are facing rest assured God knows all about it. Financial distress does not
shock God. Physical illness and disease cannot scare Him. Emotional
entanglements do not confuse Him. He does not have favorites. He does not have
a switchboard operator saying, “Please stay on the line and your call will be
answered in the order it was received.” (Romans
6:12-13)
God is not
indifferent to your need. He will answer it in the way that allows the maximum
glory to be given to His Name. When we seek the EASY way we run headlong down the path of sin. Energy Allotted Satisfying Yourself denies the Lordship of Christ and allows us to slide into
the wickedness that is a sign of the times in which we live. However, sin is
not new and wickedness has been around since the dawn of time –– no doubt it
will continue until the end. In fact, it has been the catalyst responsible for
divine judgment on more than one occasion during recorded history. (Genesis 6:5)
The EASY road leads to judgment. First
Satan was cast out of heaven for attempting to exult himself above God. Then
Satan began his long campaign to corrupt mankind. Adam was influenced and took
the EASY way. God judged mankind for
Adam’s sin of disobedience. Cain took the EASY
way and allowed jealousy to become murder. God judged Cain and he became a
marked man. Sin increased and the world was purged of wickedness by a catastrophic
flood, and still we gravitate toward what is EASY. Energy Allotted Satisfying Yourself will
lead to destruction. The cities on the plain were destroyed for sexual sin and
drunkenness. The vast and varied languages of the world were created as a
result of a man’s desire to exult his throne and bring himself to God’s level.
The
antidote to the problem of sin is committing our lives to Christ. Remembering
where we started this conversation, Jesus calls upon us to follow Him by
denying ourselves. Once we make that commitment we no longer fall under the
condemnation of sin; however, we have a daily struggle to overcome the pull of
the EASY way. (Romans 8:1-3)
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