1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus… Philemon 1:1a (NIV)
“Am I going to get dirty? Am I going to get sweaty? If so, I don’t want to do it. I don’t like getting dirty.”
Ever hear anything like that? I have; it causes me to scratch my head. Some of the most fulfilling things in life take hard work, a bit of elbow grease (whatever that is). There are some of us that run from hard work as if it were the plague.
“I don’t want my head to hurt. You’re making me think too hard.”
If you don’t like getting dirty, messy or discomfort then you won’t like the Christian life because it’s messy. Case in point: Paul. He’s reaching the end of a faithful-to-God life and he’s not living it up in a life of ease. He’s a prisoner which in the original Greek actually means chained up. Why’s he there? For preaching Jesus. Don’t you think serving Jesus would keep you clean and liked by others? Well, Jesus told His followers: “no man is greater than his master” (John 13:16). So if they killed Him why not imprison His followers.
Now, you may not like where this is headed but here’s the question you need to ask yourself: Do you want to be comfortable and wrong or uncomfortable and right? Are you willing to deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus or comfort yourself, sit in your recliner and shun Jesus? You need to count the cost of following Jesus. He doesn’t give discounts or put holiness on clearance. The cost is high, it’s not comfortable but the good news is it’s right, possible with God’s help, and also possible because it’s not done alone. God promises to always be with you—a constant supply of God-power.
Questions to consider:
Why is the cross a tough subject to talk to Christians about?
Why is self denial so hard?
Do we live for ourselves or for God? What does it mean to truly live for God?
What change do you need to make today?
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