Laying Down Our Lives

March 11, 2010

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our Brothers.”
--
1 John 3:16

Jesus’ loved us to the end, giving up His life in order that we might have life---abundant life. Now as His followers we must walk in His footsteps and live a life of love. We are to love each other as Christ has loved us; not looking to our own interests, but to the interests of others. I suppose it might be a distant thought in all of our minds that perhaps if the opportunity ever presented itself (which we are positive it never would), we would certainly lay down our lives for a fellow Believer. I am left with a question that nags at my soul. What am I doing today? Yes, maybe someday I might be in a position to physically lay down my life for a fellow Believer, but how am I “laying my life down” for my Brothers today?

Am I pouring my heart out in prayer for my fellow Believers? Do I help and serve at church? Do I bear the burdens of my fellow Christians? Do I reach out to Believers who are hurting, struggling, and weary? Am I interested in the lives of others? Do I sacrifice anything/everything in order to serve my Brothers and Sisters in Christ?

Am I laying my life down for my fellow Believers?

Courage

“Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast…encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today…”
--Hebrews 3:6,13

Courage is not the absence of fear but a resolve to face fear; a courageous person is not someone who is not afraid, but someone who resolves to act upon their convictions in spite of fear. God has not called us to live comfortable and safe lives, but He has called us to be people who take risks for His glory, standing up for our faith amidst opposition. Believers must have courage to stand up against fear, hope to press on amidst doubt, joy to smile in sorrow, and dependence upon God to be the supplier of all our needs. Not only are we called to be courageous people who risk all for Christ we are also to be encouragers to other Believers. We must be giving each other courage to stand. When a Brother or Sister is weak and fearful, Believers must stand strong and give the ones who are weak courage to stand. Always be recalling to mind and reminding each other of the cross of Christ. The cross is where we will receive all we need to live for the Lord. At the cross we will find the courage to face all that God has in store for us.

Do not fear

Do not fear when the waves are crashing, when the wind is howling, and your heart is thudding. Do not be afraid when all within you doubts and longs to seek security and ease. Do not fear because Jesus is with you right by your side, holding your hand. Run hard, fight relentlessly, gaze upon Jesus, and do not fear. When all within you says be afraid---do not fear, but trust because the one who holds your heart will not leave you alone. Do not fear.

Midgett Adventures~ #37 How to Begin

March 12, 2010

How do you begin your day? Each day seems a little different for me depending on what watch I have, but I love starting my day with a hot cup of coffee. Mornings just do not seem the same without a cup of coffee, so it is my tradition to fix myself a cup and then officially start my day.

However a more important question remains. How do we begin our day so as to be ready to fight the battle of faith? We must preach the Gospel to ourselves for indeed it is the power of God---not only for unbelievers, but for Believers too! Our hearts will never be prepared to fight hard unless we are fixed and rooted on Christ. The cross must always be before us if we are to live cross-centered lives. A moment must not pass that we are not aware that it is by God’s grace alone that we are saved and that we stand before Him not of any merit in ourselves, but solely because Christ’s work on our behalf.

Do not face a day without preparing to face it with the Gospel fresh in your minds and fully embraced with your heart.

Midgett Adventures~ #36 Turning the World Upside Down

March 11, 2010

I am struck by what half-hearted people we are today. We are either living in anticipation of tomorrow or trapped revisiting yesterday; never do we seem to live completely in the present. We idolize our weekends and dread work days. We spend our free time sleeping, watching TV, playing on the computer, or doing other mindless activities. We avoid difficulties and challenges like the plague, seeking comfort, security, and ease in our daily lives. We daydream about retirement, but never seem to daydream about heaven. We buy animals and then regret buying them; we purchase items and then grow tired of them; we plan extravagant vacations and then bicker during them; we make commitments and then go back on them; we start serving in church and then become burned out from serving; we go to college and only do enough homework to get by; we look for friends that will gratify our needs; and we do almost everything in our lives to please ourselves and that keeps us from exerting too much energy in the process.

However this is all superfluous when we dig deeper and find out what the root cause of our half-heartedness is. Is it not accurate to say that our daily lives are so half-hearted because our daily walk with the Lord is half-hearted? I think so. We were created for a purpose and that purpose is to glorify God with our lives. We do this by enjoying Him and making much of Him by the way we live. So many Christians today are living self-centered lives instead of living cross-centered lives. We do not live wholeheartedly unto the Lord, hence the reason why we are such half-hearted creatures. God is not our greatest treasure and pleasure in life---no wonder we are such pitiful, wimpy people. What is our problem? We have forgotten what is real. We think that this life offers us the things that will make us happy, all the while not realizing that this life is but a vapor that will soon be past. Our view of God is distorted by our sin.

My question is if we found out that this moment---right now---is the very last moment we have to live, how would we live it? Would it make a difference in our lives if we only had one more moment to live? Perhaps we would realize what is truly important and throw ourselves wholeheartedly in living out that last moment?

God has challenged me to live each moment as if it was my last moment. I know I need this challenge because I find it so easy to slip into the wrong thinking that I am going to be on this earth forever. When I think this way, I do not live fully for the Lord because I think I have time and can wait until later to serve Him, I’ll start spending more time with Him when I am not working on this project, or I’ll go to church when I am older. I place God off to the side, all the while the few moments I have on this earth quickly speed away.

Lovers of Christ, we must realize and come to grips with the fact that we are dying people, living in a dying world that has no hope. We have hope in Jesus Christ and we must be sharing the hope we have with those around us! In a whisper all that we see will fade away and the opportunities God has given us here on this earth to share His love will be past. Do not live in the future and do not dwell in the past, but live fully in the present, making much of Christ with everything that is in you.

So I will live as a dying person, I will take each breath as though I were taking my dying breath, I will work as though I will never work again, I will sing to the Lord as though I will never sing to Him another song on this earth, I will pray as though I am praying my last prayer on earth, and I will live wholeheartedly for the Lord with the moments God has given me. Will I fail? Yes, but God will remain faithful.

Remember we will never live fully unless we live as dying people, throwing ourselves wholeheartedly into the work of the Lord.

So will you too live as dying people? Will you fight sin as if you’ll never fight it again, will you run hard toward the goal as a runner who is running his last lap? Pastors will you preach as though you will never preach again? Missionaries will you serve and proclaim Christ as though you will never do so again on this earth? Children will you obey your parents as though you will never have the chance to obey them again? Parents will you love your children, hold them, care for them, talk to them as though you will never do so again in this world? Teachers will you teach as though you will never teach again? Christians will speak as though you are speaking your last words? If this characterized our lives as Believers, would the world not be turned upside down in complete and utter shock and confusion, resulting in an awe for the God we serve who has given us such a living hope?

Midgett Adventures~#35 Watch

March 3, 2010

Another busy day down…I think I keep making my bed time earlier and earlier. I used to think ten was a good time to call it a night, but now six is sounding like a good time to hit the hay (seriously!); I must be getting old or something(-:

Today I had watch from 1200-1600. It was such a beautiful day with the sun shining. It was not too cold and the breeze felt really good. We have left the calm waters of the Puget behind us and are heading out into the straights. So we have picked up some rolling and rocking today that we are not used to. I was keeping an especially sharp eye out for whales. I guess one of the lookouts saw some today, but I did not end up spotting any. I had fun looking out for them though.

Let’s see, what else did I do today? I got my laundry done, helped do some inventory, finished up making a slide show of my journey so far, and some other little things here and there. God continually teaches me to rely upon Him for strength for each day and He truly is my strength.

Midgett Adventures~ #34 Weary Pilgrim

(Here is a story to encourage weary hearts)

Thick mists of darkness rested heavy in the valley, adorned only by a lonely path, which continued to dip lower into darkness. A weary traveler trudged along quietly; his eyes filled with pain and unspeakable anguish. His shoes appeared ragged and worn, his clothes were threadbare, and the marks of suffering scarred his heart. Obviously he seemed to be in search of something, but the length of his journey and the bitterness of pain had snatched the spring from his step, the light from his eyes, and the joy from his heart.

Sitting down on a small bolder, the man lowered his head and closed his eyes. The glorious city---his home---seemed out of reach. Oh, the stories he had heard, and longed to believe about the city of the Lamb, but the darkness seemed too thick, the road too long, and his heart too weary to continue on to his destination. Hunger and thirst filled his being, but he ignored the pangs of his soul and shut his eyes to the light. He was a pilgrim, but it was too hard, he was too tired, and his soul was too overcome by despair.

At that exact moment of soul darkness, the lonely man heard approaching steps. He looked up and found that another traveler dressed in worn clothes was coming down the path. Something was different about him though---something about the intensity of his gaze or maybe the sincerity of warmth the weary traveler felt from the man’s heart.

“Fellow Traveler, how is your journey so far?” The man asked the weary traveler, stopping at the small bolder.

“Good, but it is not as I imagined it to be.” He replied simply.

“The road is difficult, isn’t it?”

“Yes, very difficult and dreary.” The weary traveler sighed and peered down at his worn shoes.

“True,” The man sat down on another bolder. “But does the goal, which brought you to walk down this path not burn in your heart, causing you to see that which is unseen?”

“I suppose, but darkness rests in my soul and has pushed out all the joy I once possessed. I no longer can see the goal of this road and I am simply to weary to continue on. My lot is a difficult one and this road is too hard.”

The man shook his head. “Did you expect this road to be easy? Did you not know that for you to enjoy true life you would be required to daily die to self? If you want an easy path, there are plenty to choose from, but if you want what will last then don’t let the difficulties you experience now deter you from the joy that will be yours in such a short time.”

The weary traveler nodded. “I know what you say is true, but it still does not help me feel any better about my weary heart or the awfulness of this lonely path.”

“Do feelings matter?” The man prodded. “If you wait until you feel good about walking down this path you will never make it to the glorious city of the Lamb. Don’t think of how you feel---think of the Lamb. Don’t sit wallowing in weariness---get up and begin walking again and the Lamb will strengthen your weary heart. Laziness will keep you in darkness as long as it can, but diligence to seek the Lamb will be like the light of the sunrise to your soul. Open your map---the Word of the Lamb---and light will spill over the path (though only enough light for each new step).”

The traveler pondered the wise words of the man before him. “You are right.” His heart still lingered in sadness.

“Perhaps you have forgotten what is real, my Friend,” The man’s voice was firm with conviction yet also filled with compassion. “This world is but a whisper---a shadow---but what lays ahead down this road is real and true and better than anything else you have ever known. Go forth now and be about the work the Lamb has assigned you. Walk the path, rejoice through darkness, sing in the valleys, enjoy the mountain peaks, help the weary, come along the broken, fix your eyes on the Lamb, think of Him lest you sit here forever until it is too late. If you are a true pilgrim you will carry on because the Lamb won’t let you go.”