Jump Starts # 3651

Luke 9:23 “And He was saying  to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.’”

I saw a report out of Harvard that said 1 in 6 families have someone within their family that they no longer talk to because of politics. Politics!!! The culture we are swimming in thrives on drama. Selfishness, unwilling to listen to other opinions, has closed ears and hearts to each other. If you do not agree with someone, they do not want to hear from you.

Faith in Jesus makes us small. That’s the way it is supposed to be. Faith in Jesus makes God large. That’s the way it is supposed to be. Preferring others. Loving others. Being a servant to others. Putting others before you. Faith will do that. Faith shows us the Christ who was a servant to others. Faith shows us that the universe doesn’t revolve around us. Faith shows us that we are not the most important being in the creation.

Here are some things to remember:

First, faith in the Lord is greater than who sits in the White House. Policies come and go. The economy is up and down. But through all of this, God is upon the throne. That faith keeps one from getting so worked up about politics. That faith realizes that through the oppression of the Egyptians, the battles of the Philistines, the conquering Babylon, and even the strong Romans, are no match for our God. God won’t forget His people. God’s purpose and God’s promises cannot be altered by any army or any government.

Second, faith in the Lord makes a person listen more and talk less. Especially, they talk less about themselves. Hearing one sing their own song over and over, gets old very quickly. And, the more we talk about ourselves, the less we are aware of opportunities to help and serve others.

Third, faith in the Lord makes a person realize that this ole’ world got along before us and it will get along after us. The same is true of the church. The long ago preacher, W.W. Otey, late in life, in his 90s, said that he realized that he was not nearly as important as he thought he was. It shouldn’t take a person getting to their 90s to realize that. We tend to think more of ourselves than others do.

Fourth, faith in the Lord helps a person see the big span of time and people. There are nearly 2,000 names in the Bible. That’s not all that many considering the large amount of time that the Bible covers. And, among those names, we know something about a handful of them, but most of them are just a name on a page. They lived, loved, worried, struggled, and had families just like you and I. And, today, most know nothing about those people. The ‘drama of me,’ that our culture is stuck on, is just a small speck in the whole picture of time.

We are just a moment in time. And, when we walk with the Lord through faith, we realize that we are just one tiny puzzle piece that fits into the big picture of God. Once all the pieces are in place, it’s the overall picture that people focus on. The one tiny piece is lost in the big picture. The big picture is God. We are just one tiny piece that helps the Lord become known and visible to others.

Denying self, found in our verse and the first aspect of discipleship. It’s not about me and it’s not about you. So, expressions such as, “Do I have to,” or, “Why should I,” or, “I don’t get anything out of it,” speaks too much of self. Self can become our biggest enemy and the biggest battle that we face. Deny self. Think about the Lord. Talk to the Lord. Follow the Lord. None of me and all of Thee, that’s the idea.

One in six families have someone that they are no longer talking to because of politics. That’s something…

Roger