08/17/2023
Has Jesus ever given you a word? Has he asked you to do something that shook you or something you have convinced yourself couldn't possibly come from Him because it seemed impossible for you to accomplish? Well, think about this for a moment and then read on.
“When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."”
Luke 18:22 ESV
When Jesus told the rich young ruler what He had to do in order to have eternal life it shook him and he went away disheartened because he had been asked to do the one thing that he wasn't prepared for… give up his wealth. What would have happened if Jesus had just said "follow me?" Would the story have ended with this man following Him? And if so, how long would he have succeeded in doing that if he was constantly absorbed in the issues of his wealth? You see, in this story Jesus wasn't concerned with making this man poor... he simply wanted him to give up His false god before he became a disciple and sought eternal life. The rich ruler already adhered to the law, but he had one overriding problem... his money had come before God. Jesus doesn't ask us to do hard things to prove ourselves... He asks us to do them to perfect ourselves.
God doesn’t ask us to do His will frivolously just to see if we will actually do it. God didn’t ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac so that He could say "that's OK Abraham, I just wanted to see if you would really do it", no, He asked him, just as He asks us, to do the hard things with the full expectation that we will do them, and with a specific outcome in mind...
"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?”
Luke 6:3, 46 ESV
But what if we turn away from our faith? There is one earthshaking biblical example of an original disciple being called to follow Jesus who was asked to give up his old life and who did so, and then returned to it, and that was Judas Iscariot, but his purpose all along was to fulfill messianic prophesy. Jesus explains it in this way…
“While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction [Judas Iscariot], that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
John 17:12 ESV
Then there were those of the later 72 disciples who walked away when Jesus told them that they must eat His flesh, and drink His blood, because they didn’t understand the sacrament of Communion. All the others were each changed to some degree forever. In order for us to return to who we were before we met Jesus, we too would need to abandon Him totally in the process. Could you do this? Would you do this?
“The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you… After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”
John 6; 52-53, 66 ESV
There are also examples in the Bible of those who flirted with abandoning their faith in Jesus but didn’t leave Him; like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. In this account (Luke 24:13-35) these men were returning home feeling defeated by the crucifixion of Christ, but Jesus met them on the road and gave them what they needed in order to shore up their waning belief. After walking and talking with Him their faith was revitalized and they returned to Jerusalem in joy, with a new and increased zeal for serving Him. We learn through this story that the Lord may ask us to do or believe hard things, but He will not abandon us as we attempt to achieve them. If we have placed Him first, and honestly set out to do so in the first place, then He will not forsake us.
“Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!””
Luke 24:24-25 ESV
I spoke earlier about Abraham seemingly receiving a reprieve from following through with the sacrifice of Isaac... however, in this account God wasn't proving to Himself that Abraham had exceptional faith, nor was He placing Abraham’s son above his own, but was showing Isaac, and every believer since that day, just how much Abraham loved God and that he had placed the Lord first in his life. In the case of the rich ruler there was a false god, wealth and power, which came before God, but in the case of Abraham there was no such thing... God was already first, and through this story we understand the depth of that love and the commitment.
So when Jesus asks something of us, whether hard or not, He is asking us to serve His purposes, and not as a pointless challenge. When He asks something of us then the result is meant to perfect us in some way. Do you see the truth in this? Has he asked something of you that takes on a new meaning as you come to understand it? Can you look back on it and say "I see the lesson in that?" Or has He asked something of you, and you feel that it couldn’t have been His voice? If it is the later then perhaps you should revisit what you heard Him say, pray for clarity, and then do that thing if it is truly His desire.
Hard lessons are learned by answering the difficult requests that Jesus asks of us. Do you have something that is serving as a false god in your life? Has Jesus spoken to you about it but you have pretended not to hear Him, or just turned and walked away defeated? Perhaps He has asked you to commit yourself to something that will take a lifetime to achieve and you doubt in your ability to do that, or maybe you have placed your will before His by rationalizing it, and convincing yourself that He couldn't have meant for you to literally do this thing because it just doesn't make sense to you. Whatever the request He has asked of you, I recommend that you consider, or reconsider, it today... ask him about the lessons within those things you have done for Him, and pray for clarity in those you have previously ignored or otherwise not listened to.
Some of the things Jesus asks us to do will strike fear in our hearts, others will fill us with doubt, but if we pick up His yoke He will make all things doable, and if we find ourselves facing defeat and starting down the road towards Emmaus He will meet us there and encourage us to return. Jesus doesn't ask the impossible of us, He asks us to believe that everything is possible through God.
“But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."”
Matthew 19:26 ESV
Prayer:
Father I thank you for making the impossible things I am asked to do possible. There is no such thing as an impossible request made by you or your Son Jesus Christ. You ask hard things, but you always give me the means to accomplish them, and in every one of them you increase my faith and understanding of you. Some seekers turn away because they are reluctant to do your bidding... Father strengthen me so that there is nothing you ask that I turn my back on. Tempt me not Father, but in each test provide me with the faith that is required, and open my eyes, and my heart, to you fully. I praise you in the hard tasks you have given me; I praise you in your faithfulness as you accompany me in achieving them, and I praise you for the lessons each has taught me. In those challenges that cause me distress you comfort me, and at the moment of my impending abandonment you encourage me. You are great above all gods, and mighty in all things... I praise your name and lift my hands to you in adoration. You are my God and my hope... in you all is possible... even for the frail of heart and weak in belief.
“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!"”
Mark 9:24 ESV
Rich Forbes