Luke 9:23 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
I've been reading the book "Not a Fan" along with a college girl that I meet with weekly. This book has been challenging for me in many good ways. In chapter 10, Kyle Idleman (the author) talks about being a "slave." This part was challenging for me as I tend to want to view my position in Christ as more of a "servant." I help Jesus out, but I still have some of my own rights. If I accept my position as a slave to Christ, then I am saying that I am willing to give up all of my rights. I don't mind giving up some of my rights. Things like getting drunk and having a high-paying job aren't strong desires of mine, so I can say no to those fairly easily. But it's much harder for to me to give up other rights... my right to be treated fairly, my right to have good health, my right to interact with friends and family on the world wide web. As a follower of Jesus, though, I must recognize that nothing is mine. Everything belongs to Jesus... my family, my feelings, my health, my plans, my computer...
I've been challenged most in this area in the way that I feel that I have "rights" to the ways that I am treated by others. I've been surprised in the past couple of weeks how often I get upset, angry, and annoyed with others, and I realized it's all because I feel like I have rights. I have a right for them to treat me fairly, I have a right for them to think the way I do, I have a right for them to help me. I also struggle with what I believe my rights from God are. Before Ben and I began heading down this path towards missions, I felt I had a right to own a home. God had to work on my heart a lot to help me give that up. But I still struggle in this area, when God allows others to have things that he isn't allowing me to have... owning a house, a dog, a permanent location, best friends to hang out with... and I'm recognizing it's all because I feel I have these rights.
When I consider myself a slave and let go of these rights, I am amazed at my attitude change.
Below, I've included some of my favorite passages on this topic in his book. If you want to read them, go be challenged :)
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"Followers are willing to deny themselves and say, 'I choose Jesus. I choose Jesus over my family. I choose Jesus over money. I choose Jesus over career goals. I am his completely. I choose Jesus over getting drunk. I choose Jesus over looking at porn. I choose Jesus over a redecorated house. I choose Jesus over my freedom. I choose Jesus over what people may think of me.' A follower makes a decision every day to deny himself and choose Jesus... even if it costs everything." (pg 145)"
"When we sacrificially deny ourselves for Christ's sake it is the clearest evidence of our committed love." (pg. 145)
"A slave has no rights. A slave has no possessions to call their own. A slave in Jesus' day didn't even have a personal identity... But "slave" is the way many of the followers of Christ introduce themselves." (pg. 149) (consider Peter, John, Timothy, James, Paul, and Jude in their letters)
"Most of us grew up in homes where we were taught to study hard in school and in college so we could get a good job and make lots of money and live in a big house, drive a nice car, and enjoy great vacations. When you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, the answers generally reflect that influence. But no one ever says, “When I grow up, I want to be a slave.” But that is what the Bible calls us to. The Bible would teach that the highest calling for you is to be a slave who denies himself and follows Jesus."(pg 150)
"Who signs up for that? Well did you notice in Deuteronomy 15 what the motivation is for someone to choose slavery? Look at it again. “But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your family and is well off with you …..” A slave realizes as crazy as it might seem to everyone else, as ridiculous as it might appear to those who don’t understand, he’s going to choose a life of slavery. He loves his master and realizes that he’s better off as a slave." (pg. 152)
The word doulos appears approximately 130 times in NT.
Idleman, Kyle (2011-06-07). Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus (p. 150). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Alisha, thank you so much for writing this. This is the very topic I too have been meditating on recently, because of a question posed to me by an non-believing student back in February. She said, "It makes sense to want to be free from sin. But doesn't that just mean I'm a slave to Christ?" She was very turned off by the word "slavery." I didn't know exactly how to answer her now, but the Lord has been faithfully explaining the concept to me again in so many ways. Everything I've been learning I want to share with her soon. I've actually decided to make this the topic of an upcoming trip I'm taking with my students. If you don't mind, I'd like to read your blog post to them during one of our devotional times together. It fits perfectly with what I want to say, and I like to give them other people's perspectives, not just my own. So.. thanks again for being transparent and writing this post!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz, Of course you may use this with your students. Thanks for reading and asking :) Isn't our Father good to let us be learning the same thing at the same time, countries apart from one another? Love you friend!
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