Lionheart

So it has gotten to be that time–the time when invitees, family, invitations, flowers, rentals, photography, contracts, etc all start to close in around us.  The stress of the minute details has a way of taking away from the true focus of what this special day is really about.

I have seen it too many times–individuals who are getting married succumb to the pressure and the stress of what is supposed to happen on their day to remember.  Money issues, who to invite, who not to invite, florists, photographers, etc–all get in the way of what the wedding is actually supposed to be about.

As Mel and I are in our period of engagement, we have begun to focus on the details of that special day.  I have seen how our plans have somewhat shifted–it is so easy to get caught up in all of the “junk” that comes with a wedding–all the minute, miniscule details that, quite frankly, in the grand scheme of things, don’t really matter.   Yes, flowers are important-yes, photography is important-yes, what invitations we choose is important, yet, it is so important to constantly check our focus.

Last night, Jesus really impressed upon me the purpose of this special day.  He has really broken Melissa and I down in our views of August 27th. He has shown us that even though this is our day–its not about us–it is all about Him.  Too many times in our society, a marriage ceremony is viewed as a big party–thats not the intention–it is a day set aside to commemorate what Jesus has done in the life of two individuals.  It is a day that should be Gospel-focused; a day that is focused on what He has done for us and through us by bringing us together.  The wedding–the two being joined together–is a perfect representation of Christ and His bride, the church.  When we view that day as a reflection of Jesus, everything else gets a perspective shift.

When we view August 27th as a day where the Gospel will be presented in an amazing way through a marriage–EVERYTHING pales in comparison.  Rental fees, photography, decorations, food, flowers–all pale in comparison to the fact that the sole purpose of this day is to bring glory and honor to Jesus.  Wow!  It is absolutely amazing–when we get the focus off of ourselves and onto Jesus we are then free to lay it all at His feet and respond in an attitude of worship.  When its done for His glory, we can rest in the fact that everything is going to fall into place–everything is going to work out.

When we step aside and give it too Him, we can rest in what He will do.

I recently encountered some extremely legit Bible heroes in the book of Luke.  These guys are not your typical heroes–they didn’t slay a giant, win an important battle, or perform a miracle.  Rather, these guys were obedient to Jesus.  Luke 5 has two amazing examples of individuals who obeyed Jesus, no questions asked.  The first deals with Peter, James and John.  At the beginning of the chapter, we see Jesus speaking to the crowds in Galilee.  The place is so crowded that he has to get into one of the boats and put off into the sea in order to speak to them all.  Jesus then instructs Peter to put down his nets even though Peter had fished all night.  Needless to say, Peter’s nets fill with fish to the point where he needs help from his friends, James and John.  All were amazed at the catch of fish.  Peter even told Jesus to leave because he was unworthy of being in his presence.  Jesus simply told the guys not to be afraid and that they would catch men from that point forward.  The next verse is so crucial; verse 11 says: “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”  That is absolutely amazing.  Just because of a word from Jesus, they pulled their boats on the shore and left everything behind.  At first glance this just looks like they stopped what they were doing for the day and followed Jesus.  On the contrary, fishing was their life.  It was all they had.  It was the source of their well-being, stability, and money.  Without fishing, they had nothing.  Yet, because of a Word from Jesus, they ‘left everything’ and followed him.  According to the Word, they didn’t even bother to put their nets away.  They put their livelihood down and followed Jesus.

A similar situation happens in verse 27-28 with the calling of Levi, or Matthew.  Jesus walks up to him at his tax booth and tells him to, “Follow Me”.  The Word says that Levi got up, left everything, and followed Jesus.  Once again, we have an individual who is challenged to leave everything and follow Jesus.  Levi had it all–in this society the tax collectors had money.  Also, they were in good standing with the Romans. Yet he forsook this lifestyle in order to follow Jesus.  He, like Peter, James, and John gave up his livelihood in order to follow Jesus.

Decisions like this are few and far between in our society today.  What would the world be like if we actually took Christ at His word and were willing to move when he says move.  What if we really left everything behind in order to follow Jesus.  These heroes dropped their lives for Jesus.  They gave it all up.  Are we willing to do the same?  Could we follow Jesus and drop our lifelines all at Christ’s Word?  Could we give up our well-being, stability, and money in order to follow Him.  It is my prayer that we all would see these chances as opportunities for Christ to show up and show out and that we would be willing to take Jesus at His word alone.

So I was having a little QT with the Lord the other night, and He hit me pretty hard while I was in Matthew 16.  Towards the end of the chapter, Jesus tells his disciples that He will eventually suffer and die at the hands of those in Jerusalem.  Peter denies this and Jesus rebukes him.  Jesus then goes on to say this in verse 24:

²⁴Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

I have heard this verse countless times; however, that verse 24 just really stood out.  The word ‘deny’ in particular, just seemed to scream at me.  I started thinking about what deny means to us in our daily lives.  Many times in our society, the word deny is associated with restriction–like denying yourself from a particular type of food, activity, or state of mind.  When one denies oneself, they prevent themselves from experiencing something.  Because of this, the word has a negative connotation such as one can’t do something or is restricted from something.  I felt prompted to really take a closer look at that word ‘deny’–do we really understand it?  What I found was rather interesting.  In the original text, the word ‘deny’ is the Greek word ‘aparneomai’.  The definition of that word is to forget one’s self, lose sight of one’s self and one’s own interests.

In other words, I am not restricted from something, and there should be no negative connotation with that word.  Rather, I am called to forget myself.  I am called to ‘lose sight of myself and my own interests’.  Basically, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our life is no longer our own. We have been bought with a price, and our lives are now dedicated to Him.  The sight of myself and my own interests are no longer at the forefront.  They are put away for the sight of Jesus and the advancement of His interests.  In essence, it is a sense of freedom and not that of restriction.

With this type of mindset, a lot of crucial life decisions really start to change. For example, decisions about a change in major or a career are no longer viewed as us pursuing our own interests but rather as an avenue to advance the kingdom of God.  Questions such as ‘What do I want to do with my life?’ or ‘What kind of job makes the most money?’ are replaced with questions such as ‘What is His will for my life?’ and  ’What is His plan for me?’  It is no longer our decision alone but should rather be addressed by seeking God on the decision that should be made.  Our lives our His now–every piece and every part should be used for His glory.  Decisions for relationships and dating are no longer an issue of finding compatibility and ultimately a mate but rather an opportunity to share the love of Christ to others.  Each relationship should be viewed as a tributary through which to extend His love and grace.  Furthermore, confidence in the fact that God will direct your steps to that special someone is a must.  Our lives are His now; we should not worry and get consumed with finding that compatibility.  I see too many college and high school students who literally freak out because they are not dating someone.  This ‘losing sight of my own interests’ carries on into all aspects our lives.  Each and every decision should be viewed in correlation with our relationship with Christ.  It is no longer us just living our lives, but rather us being a vessel for which Christ to show through.  This really jacks me up.  All the pressure is basically off of me.  It’s all on Him, and as long as I seek Him with my whole heart, my steps are ordered.  My interests are forgotten, and His have taken the place.

May we all deny ourselves, seek to replace our interests with that of Christ, and truly live for Him daily.