There is a common struggle in most all of us as Christians.  We want to be followers of Jesus, but we want to be comfortable doing so.  A while back, I was driving back from Austin, and listened to a sermon that asked the question – “what things are are closed handed with God about”?  What relationship, what thing in your life, will you say to God – “you can’t touch this” (MC Hammer pants, not required).  Seriously – what is it?  What thing if God asked you to be open handed about, to let Him into, and maybe ask you to give up would you be unwilling to do?  We don’t want to give things up that we find comfort in, we want to be able to pursue, what we want to pursue, and hope that God comes along for the ride.  God doesn’t work that way.  He loves us too much.

When God enters into your life, you are not merely a “better person”, you’re a new creation.  2 Corinthians 5:17 – “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

When God enters your life, He doesn’t come to follow after you as you pursue your old desires, He says “deny yourself and follow Me”.  Matthew 16:24 – “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

When God enters your life, he doesn’t just say acknowledge what I’ve done, He says repent and believe.  Mark 1:15 – “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Here’s the thing.  When God enters your life, He knows the idols, the sin which separates you from Him.  Consider this – every idol of your heart was nailed with Jesus on the cross.  As He bore the wrath of God for your sin, He knows the severity, the brokenness that sin brings intimately – infinitely greater than you or I do.  He also knows it won’t be easy for you to give those things up, it required Him to die to free you from bondage to those things.  What will it take for you to turn over your whole life, not just parts to God.  To say, enough, my life is not my own, I have been bought for a price by the blood of Jesus, and I entrust everything to Him.

When you do that, it will be tough.  When God asks you to let go of the things you have been closed handed about, there is a legitimately cost.  It will hurt.  You will have a void.  You will feel anguish mixed with peace.  All the time and energy you had put into trying to pursue that thing, are now free.  What do you do?  Colossians 3:1-4 – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”  I would say you use that time to seek the things that are above – seek God with God’s people in the Church.

As a professing Christian who is closed handed about something in their life there is one of two options.  The first, ironically is that you get exactly what you want, and you come to realize that the thing you thought would bring you joy, will lead to misery and separation from God.  This is true of those who only professed to be followers of Christ, but were never truly saved.  The second option, is that God will break you.  A shepherd if He had a sheep that continued to stray away from the flock, would have its leg broken, and the shepherd would carry it with him with the flock until it healed, so that the sheep would learn to stay with the flock (so that it would not get eaten by wolves or die in isolation).  Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  Hebrews 12:6 – “The Lord disciplines the one He loves”  The LORD will plead with you to stay with Him.  He is long-suffering, patient, gentle, and kind, but there will be a point where He sees you going too far, and He will say enough, and He will break your leg.  He’s done it to me.  He’s done it to others.  It will hurt, but it is the mercy of God.  Hebrews 12:11 – “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”

My exhortation today is to examine yourselves honestly and answer the question of what thing have you been unwilling to just give over to God?  He is pleading with you today to give it to Him and follow Him, trusting that He has everything in control and He knows what is truly good and best for you.  It will hurt at first, but God will meet you in your hurt and carry you into a closer fellowship with Him, in his presence where a fullness of joy is found (Psalm 16:11).

Grace and Peace,

Adam