Living for a Cause

Sunday morning I was listening to the Word being preached. My friend who was preaching was telling young people that the most important things that they would need when going back to school would not be purchased at the local Wal-Mart. He made the point that living for Christ means taking our stand with Him. Trying to be a Christian at school was really difficult for me the first couple of years in High School. In fact, I failed. I look back and hope that no one ever heard me say, "I'm a Christian". I'm afraid that if they did the idea of Christianity would leave a taste in their mouth more bitter than sour orange juice. I finally decided that if I was going to follow Christ, I would have to stop hanging out with the kids that were a bad influence on me. A number of things began to change for the better after that. Not because I quit hanging out with those kids, but because I had made my resolve (Josh 24:15).

How many times have I considered the scenario where someone puts a gun to my head and says, "Are you a Christian?" I know that if I confess Him that my brains will be spattered on the carpet. I had always thought that to be the greatest confession of faith and love for God. But really, is that so hard? What seems harder is to first live for a cause. I mean, dying for a cause is simply worthless unless it has been lived for.

Take Jonah for instance. When he realized he was the one responsible for the calamity in which the sailors found themselves, he confessed his fear of the Lord and offered his life on their behalf. I used to think that this was Jonah repenting. However, the guy didn't want to go to Ninevah in the first place. We know by reading the text he would rather die than obey. That's not obedience. That's not love for God.

Look at Peter when the soldiers came to arrest Jesus. He said he was willing to give his life for the Lord and here we see evidence. However, when it came time to live his life for the Lord, he failed. How many times have I discovered myself in the same spot.

America sees love as something conceptual. However, in 1 Cor 13, which is considered by many to be the Christian's definition of love, how is love defined? In verses 4 and following, not single attribute of that love is conceptual. It is behavioral. So I find myself again in High School, in that I must question my loyalty to God. Would I take the bullet? What does it matter unless I've lived as if I will? If you are more afraid of living with your decision to serve God than you are to die for it, let's make it easy on ourselves. Let's put our own will to death and let Christ live through us (Gal 2:20).