I was given fifteen minutes to share a testimony during a communion service on Maundy Thursday. As I was sharing, the Holy Spirit began to articulate the greatest area of sin in my life. I had accepted the cleansing and salvation of the blood of Christ, but I had not taken the bread of his sacrifice.
We are so quick to claim salvation, but how willing are we to sacrifice like Christ did?
Consider this excerpt from Radical (Platt):
“In the middle of a Christian culture asking, ‘How do I find God’s will for my life?’ I bring good news. His will is not lost. With 1.4 million Bedouins in Algeria who have never even heard the gospel, it makes little sense for us to sit here asking, ‘What do you want me to do God?’ The answer is clear. The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard of Jesus.
The question, therefore, is not ‘Can we find God’s will?’ The question is ‘Will we obey God’s will?’
Will we refuse to sit back and wait for some tingly feeling to go down our spines before we rise up and do what we have already been commanded to do?
Will we risk everything- our comfort, our possessions, our safety, our security, our very lives- to make the gospel known among unreached peoples?”
Ok, quick plug: this entire book is incredible! Read it.
This is where I was missing it. My goals and dreams for my future were completely outside of God’s global plan. I have been so short sighted in my scope. To some extent I still am. I wrestle with wanting the comfort of an incredible family and support group and realizing that people are dying when I don’t do the work God has called me to. It’s OUR job, church.
While in Kuala Krai, we stayed one night with an lovely woman named Crystal. Not only was she an unbelievable hostess, she was also really wise about all things natural. She was telling us about all of her home remedies and recipes. For instance, there are certain wild mushrooms that are edible and others that are poisonous. In order to tell which is which, you put some ginger in with the mushroom. You can tell if it’s poisonous if it turns black when the ginger touches it.
As I sat there at the altar receiving communion, I thought of it as spiritual ginger and my life as the wild mushroom. If I take the communion, but there is something in my life that goes against what it stands for, that poison fungus is revealed.
So as you reflect on the cross especially this Easter week, allow Christ to illuminate any areas of hesitation in your walk with him.
He has told us his will.
Will we choose to hear only what sounds good and comfortable to us?
Or will accept both his sacrifice and the call to sacrifice of ourselves?
Let’s be a people known for the latter.
