There is a tragedy taking place in the lives of many followers of Christ. They fail to live in an increasing revelation of the beauty, the magnificence of Jesus the King.
In C. S. Lewis’s book Prince Caspian this is described as Lucy, who has been outside of Narnia for centuries, encounters Aslan the lion once again:
“Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan,” sobbed Lucy. “At last.”
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face.
“Welcome, child,” he said.
“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.
“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he. “Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”
Every year we are found in Christ we should grow in knowledge of him, of understanding his ways, of falling more deeply in love with him.
“The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt.But this is an age for spiritual heroes—a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and spiritual character and power.”
Dallas Willard
Busyness is a poor excuse…
Most pastors (and many Christians) are proud to tell all and sundry how busy they are. Give them half a chance and they will regale you for half an hour on all that they have to do.
Jesus, our example, could have been too busy to train the twelve. Just think about who needed healing, who needed counselling, who needed comforting…
Jesus made a decision to step out of being busy and into investing purposefully and deliberately into the lives of the people his Father had directed him to.
There may be many good things you are doing in ministry, how many of them need you and you alone? How many are vital to the Kingdom of God?
Being busy is not a blessing it’s a curse.
Making disciples is the call of the kingdom. Is it time to realign your life and time?
Elizabeth Elliot said,
“The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God … or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.”
What amazes me is that I have to make this decision every day. Consciously, deliberately, devotedly.
It is much more than a habit.
King Jesus demands more, demands my utmost, demands my all.
Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola write in Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ,
“Every revival and restoration in the church has been a rediscovery of some aspect of Christ in the process of answering this critical question. In fact, three features are present in every awakening in the history of the Christian church: (1) a rediscovery of the “living Word,” or the Scriptures and its authority; (2) a rediscovery of the living Christ and His supremacy; and (3) a rediscovery of the living Spirit and the Spirit’s gifts and power to manifest Christ in the context of that culture. God has a history of taking seriously people who take the eternal Word seriously.”
People, inside and outside of the church, have opinions about what is needed to change or correct the world. It is clear that whether the world likes it, acknowledges it, or not it needs Christ.
We cannot blame the world for not finding him when the Christ followers (disciples) of this day, of our culture, have been commissioned to display his glory to the world they inhabit.
““You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
In the meantime the church keeps praying for revival—surely a good thing to pray for— whilst failing to focus on him. We need to see majesty and glory, we need to see light in his light. Only then will we display his greatness in our world.