Losers
I've been giving this idea of Jesus asking us to give up everything for him some thought and a few questions still remain.
First is this:
Surely sacrificing all we have is difficult and painful especially in the scenario where Jesus says we could be asked to disown our families. How can such loss be married with the statement "my burden is light and my yoke is easy"?
Secondly:
Mr Lovell posted a beautiful reply about the cost of grace. You can read it here but since the publication of "What’s So Amazing About Grace" the idea of free grace and our inability to earn it has been bought to the fore. What do you guys think? What's the true price of grace?
Thirdly:
When Jesus talks about losing all we have is it simply in relation to our status with God (we decrease so he can increase) or is it a wider point about how we relate to the people around us.
First is this:
Surely sacrificing all we have is difficult and painful especially in the scenario where Jesus says we could be asked to disown our families. How can such loss be married with the statement "my burden is light and my yoke is easy"?
Secondly:
Mr Lovell posted a beautiful reply about the cost of grace. You can read it here but since the publication of "What’s So Amazing About Grace" the idea of free grace and our inability to earn it has been bought to the fore. What do you guys think? What's the true price of grace?
Thirdly:
When Jesus talks about losing all we have is it simply in relation to our status with God (we decrease so he can increase) or is it a wider point about how we relate to the people around us.
posted by Tim @ 10/27/2005
10 Comments:
At 4:10 pm, October 30, 2005,
Liz Hinds said…
1. This is really difficult, the disowning families bit. I even struggle with some songs we sing where it says that Jesus is the centre of my world (or words to that effect). I don't honestly think I can say that. I know I should but I usually find that I 'need' to cough or clear my throat at just that point in the song thus avoiding having to lie. Oh, that's a strong word! Saves me having to look too deeply.
I don't know. It says somewhere that God will never allow us to be tested further than we can cope with. We are fortunate in this country that the chgurch isn't underground. Christians here are tolerated or ignored mostly - which says a lot about the church in Britain, but that's another topic - and I find it hard to imagine in any convincing way what it would like to have to give up someone/thing for God.
Faced with a choice between God and my child's life, it would be, 'sorry God, but it was nice to know you.' Actually I'm such a wimp that I'd only have to be threatened with prolonged foot-tickling and I'd say much the same.
I was thinking about this post this morning when Barbara was talking about burdens and yokes. All I can say and hope and believe is that should I be in the position where sacrifice is needed, God will supply the strength.
2. 'Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.'
It's paradoxical: grace costs nothing but demands everything.
But demands not in a commanding way but in a 'I can't not' way.
Although, as I've said, I am a long way from giving everything! Good job that God is patient.
3. I don't really understand what you mean here. (Yes, I know I'm thick.) But I think it's about how we deal with others. I think it's an attitude thing, isn't it? Not so much what we don't do, but what we do do. De doo run run, de doo dah dah.
At 6:07 pm, November 01, 2005,
Jon said…
Have you got the verse references for those sayings of Jesus?
At 6:31 pm, November 01, 2005,
Tim said…
Luke 14:25-35 (The cost of being a disciple)
Matthew 11:30 (yokes and burdens)
There are obviously some repeats in the other gospels but they are the main ones.
I'd of thought you know them off the top of your head jonno. Maybe I give you more respect than you deserve!
At 7:47 am, November 02, 2005,
Jon said…
Where were you at football last night Timmy?
At 1:16 pm, November 02, 2005,
Tim said…
Sorry big balls but I've picked up an injury! On saturday I got squashed by the worlds fattest goal keeper and was generally hurt all over. Then on monday I played 5 aside and really shouldn't have and pulled a calf muscle. Therefore I used my wisdom to decide that playing with the likes of Andre and Barny was too risky as I have an important game on saturday. Glad you missed me though!
At 6:15 pm, November 02, 2005,
Jon said…
Bad luck with the fat goal keeper. Rob had a similar problem with a fat man once. He got inbetween the fat man and the chocolate machine, nasty.
At 11:34 pm, November 02, 2005,
Tim Lovell said…
I think that some of the pain that we think we might have in losing everything, may in fact be totally liberating.
I can live my life without the need to hold on to things like possessions, etc. I think that that can be how we have an easy yoke etc, because we are not running in the same race as the rest of the world.
And I really really like what Liz said about grace costing nothing but demanding everything- what a beautiful paradox.
And I'm glad you thought my reply was beautiful. Unfortunately, it contained about 6 of my own words, and 300 of Dietrich's.
Fat goalkeepers are a blight on the game of football, and I share your pain. Imagine 14 more of them, and you've got the Welsh rugby team.
At 11:57 pm, November 05, 2005,
Jon said…
All you photo's next to your comments appear to have disappeared. Did you know that your ripway account gets cancelled if you don't sign on within 30 days.
At 8:10 am, November 08, 2005,
Liz Hinds said…
Are you ever going to write anything again, Timmo?
At 12:22 pm, November 08, 2005,
Tim said…
Liz?! The kind of quality that I come up with takes time. Add that to the fact that I'm getting behind with my studies and trying desperately to catch up and then you get a lack of blogging. I'm sorry but I'll get back to blogging ways soon.
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