Ponderings of a Servant

One of my favorite bands is Anberlin. They have a unique sound and lyrics that capture my heart each time that I hear them. Somehow they manage to take me deeper than most of the other bands that I listen to and I can’t help but slip into worship during their songs. Off of their album “New Surrender” the band has a song that I think should be the anthem of our generation.

Don’t wanna leave this world, knowing I’ve lived in vain.
No time for myself; so sorry, so ashamed.
Don’t wanna leave this life, knowing I’ve barely tried.
Chase down all my dreams that I’ve hid away on the inside.

Live; I wanna live on fire.
Die; I wanna burn out brighter.
Brighter than the Northern Lights.
Wanna live to feel the daylight.
The more I live I see, this life’s not about me.

~ Anberlin,  Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)

Incidentally one of the things that has been on my mind lately is about the selfishness of our generation. We are all selfish to a point, no one is immune from it and if you are drop me a line and give me some advice on that. So we have to begin to understand the fact that humans, as people, are selfish.

The most common area of selfishness deals with how we interact with other people. Selfish people usually are inward focused all the time. They feel like their friends are there to serve them. They walk around with an attitude that says that they are entitled to whatever it is that they want. They complain about every little thing that isn’t right in their little world. I’m sure you either know these type of people, are this type of person or have been this type of person in the past. I think that selflessness, which should be the direction we are going, will never be fully obtained. That doesn’t mean we don’t strive for it.

There isn’t any exact way that we can fully overcome selfishness, but there are a few ways that we can practice that make the battle against our flesh a ton easier. I think that it starts with understanding that we are unworthy of anything. We are even unworthy to be living. Most people wonder why God lets bad things happen to good people, but I wonder why do good things happen to anyone. We don’t deserve a bit of anything that we receive. We aren’t entitled, and the God that is allows us the ability to choose if we are going to be about ourselves or him.

We all get caught up in the lies of the world. The “me” syndrome. We have made everything in our own little world about us. But in the end, this life isn’t about us. It is about everyone else but us. We have to learn to view ourselves as meaningless so that God can show us what it is like to truly be selfless. We can’t do it with our own power though, we have to allow God to humble us.

Take a few minutes and count your blessings. I don’t just mean the whole “I’m glad that I have a family” stuff, although those are great blessings. What about the fact that you don’t have to think about breathing, it just happens. You don’t have to tell your hands what to do, they already know. What about the sunrise you caught a glimpse of earlier today, or the cloud that floated by, or maybe even the bird that you saw. What about the fact that you can see? All of these things we take forgranted as a generation. And we miss out on what truly matters.

Lets be honest, it really doesn’t matter what type of car you have, what type of clothes you buy, what things that you do that glorify yourself. No one cares about you because they are all too busy caring about themselves. Now here is where I think we come in, we have to care about everyone else because they don’t care about us. Exactly – we have to love those who don’t even give us the time of day just as much as we do our best friends.

In the end, our lives mean nothing if we are just about ourselves. When Christ said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first, he was trying to show us that we are supposed to be the ones lifting others up, being around for others more, being a better friend, boy/girlfriend, son, daughter, leader, follower, and the list goes on. We have to learn to live our lives in a way that we are always pointing up. That means we don’t get the credit, but we get something even more. We get to know that we are doing what God has called us to do. I have never met anyone who practices this that didn’t get pure joy out of helping someone else. Yes, it means forsaking your needs and wants. It means being more about everyone else and even sometimes neglecting yourself for others. But the payoff is amazing. You become a friend that people want to be around, you become someone who people look up to and admire, not because you are special, but because God is working through your life. And selfless people don’t do things for recognition, because in the end it doesn’t matter.

We are just the candle, we just sit here and allow ourselves to display the light. I would much rather chase after this idea of selflessness than to live a life all about me. There are so many more things outside of your own little world. If you want to learn how to live like Christ, you first have to become all about others. Yes, it is tough, but God will honor you beyond your wildest dreams.

Men and Women, it is time for our generation to rise up and combat this selfishness. The plague of the heart that is going on will kill us. And before you run and start telling others that they have it all wrong, love them first. Show love – it is the best way to overcome selfishness, because loving others is what we were called to do. It is our time to make a change, lets show the world what it really means to follow God by going against the way of the world. It is a battle that we all have to fight, but we get to fight it together in community. Come join the battle that leads to victory in Christ Jesus!

Dive Deep,

Kyle

How many times have you heard the prayer of salvation? If you have been hanging around Christianity for any time, I’m sure that it has come up at least once or twice. Some people feel like you shouldn’t even need to pray a prayer but that isn’t what I want to touch on tonight.

In almost all versions of the prayer of salvation, there is a specific line that talks about giving God your life. I briefly spoke about it in my last post about how we are called to give God everything that we have. That is what I want to talk about tonight.

Have you ever stopped to think about those words “Jesus, I give you my life”? While we may casually say them, I don’t think Christians understand what they mean , because if they do we are doing a horrible job of living it out. Christians have been classified as some of the most judging and hypocritical people in the world – I don’t think that sounds like people who have given their full life to Christ.

I thin that the problem lies with our human need for control. We all want to have a part of our lives, we want to give God most of our lives, but in some areas continue to hold onto them. Just to be clear, I have the same problem – but it doesn’t mean that it is right. God ask for us to give him our lives, every part of them. But why would a God want our lives? It makes him sound like some sort of control freak who just wants things his way. I think this is far from true.

God knows a lot about you. He created you – exactly how you are. He also knows what human nature and free will is all about. He knows that humans are fallen creatures. But God is holy and pure, He is perfect in all his ways. And he is asking for your life.

I had a conversation with a friend that has sadly become more and more common to have with others. I was talking to them about how, at that time in my life, I felt like I needed to give God more of me. Their response was like all the others “But I’m not ready to give this to God yet.” It almost seems like we view giving our life to God as a chore. Or maybe we are scared of what he will do with us. Maybe we are afraid that he will hurt us or something – or maybe we are just afraid of change. The fear consumes us and we stay giving half of our life to God, living a mediocre faith in a mediocre world. The saddest thing is that we are ok with this.

God isn’t asking us for our life as an exchange. He is desiring our life. He isn’t asking because he just casually wants to live within us, but that he yearns to be with us. The God of the universe – the creator – wants us to give him our life so that He can live with us! He wants to give us the ability to become more than we are now. Instead of being a shell, he is asking that we join him in this life. He loves us so much that he yearns to be with us – as dirty and unclean as we are. And another thing, God always does what is best for us. Maybe you have, but I have never looked back at something that God has done and gone “Wow, that was the worst thing ever.” I know plenty that I have looked back and thought about how much I screwed up, but God never does. If I don’t think that God is doing something good in me, I realize that I’m not to the place where I can see it yet.

God wants you. He desires you. He loves you. When you love someone here on earth and you get married to them, you become one with them – emotionally, spiritually and physically. You love them and they love you – most of the time. Think about this, when you sign onto the journey of Christ, God wants to become one with you emotionally and spiritually. He wants to infuse his heart into yours, but we sit here and hold things back from him. We can’t feel his heart because we haven’t given him ours. He wants to do things through you, all you have to do is trust him. You have to learn what faith is like when you have to give the last thing you have control over to him. We limit him and his power by what we give him.

I don’t know about you, but I seek for God to use me in great ways. Yes, he will change me. Yes, I will have to forsake human desires. But I think that trusting my life to the one who created me would be the most amazing thing ever – if for no other reason than to experience his love.

Lets go and live that. My challenge to you is that you begin to pray for God to take your whole life and let him do it. Give him the ability to use you and change you – because God won’t relent until  he has it all.

Pointing up,

Kyle