I think we all can agree that our Lord Jesus suffered an excruciating and horrible death on the cross. Yet He, who for the joy that was set before Him endured (went through) the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2)
In a day where everyone wants the easy way, no hardships and no sacrifices, why do we enable people to feel so comfortable about their lives? What if we made the way to Christ difficult, like denying one’s self and taking up their cross and following Him daily?
What about counting the cost and serving others instead of ourselves? What if we made our services so focused on Christ that we didn’t care if they could find the building or whether we had children’s church or not, and no one to greet them at the door? What if we didn’t try to make the gospel or ourselves so attractive?
Now, my disclaimer here, everyone that knows me knows I’m not a hard, overbearing legalist trying to send everybody to hell! Actually, I’m just the opposite, I believe in mega grace and “mercy and truth” sweetly blended! I guess I’m saying why don’t we just “get real” and realize that the “search” for Him is not an easy path and most of us in reality find Him in crisis!! (2 Co. 4:6-8)
Now, to throw most of you off, what if when we come into the fellowship of the saints, there was so much love, so much pure hunger, and so much raw truth that people actually wanted what we had and saw that we were all just real people with real flaws?
Why don’t we make it hard for people to enter the kingdom by showing them how “uncomfortable” we all are in losing our lives and finding His life after losing all? Like, as in, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. (Matt. 6:33)
And then, the real kicker: Why don’t we make it so easy for people to leave, that we love them so purely that no matter what they do or don’t do, there is no condemnation or offense?!? Then we can just let them go with no strings attached and without ulterior motives?
Just my musing in the midnight hour….
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