Hole in our Gospel ... Chapter 3

Yes, I skipped blogging chapter two. It's a run-down of Richard Sterns own personal journey to CEO - how God orchastraed it. But I'll come back to it at the end of the Chapter 3 rundown.



Chapter 3 -

You lack one thing...Matthew 19:16 -the story of the rich young man, who Jesus sees past his desire to be patted on the back, and calls to his attention the condition of his heart. Putting myself in the story, it goes something like this...

I'm talking with Jesus, "So what am I doing that will assure my good standing with you in heaven?" I'd be thinking, I have this figured out. I do bible studies, although I could do better- he'll probably mention that. I go to church regularly, and rest on the Sabbath. I tithe, and technically I give on my gross income not my net - so I've got the whole giving thing in the bag. And I pray. I talk over decisions with God, and am willing to follow his direction. No new car, okay God, I'll wait. I've got this Christian life figured out. In my self righteous bubble, he'd use me as an example.

And Jesus would give me a few seconds, look into my eyes and say, "If you want the life I have for you, follow the laws God has given you." And I'd gulp, because I'd remember Leviticus and Numbers. But then I'd think of Grace, and the freedom from the law. I'd look him right in the eye, and in all seriousness say, "Which ones?"

And when he replied, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother and 'love your neighbor as yourself'" I'd sigh in relief. Because I've been pretty good at those, and Grace covers when I've failed. And I see Jesus looking at my unexpectedly, hoping I'll take it one step further. Hoping I won't be satisfied with the safe answer. Hoping I'll desire more.

And I do, so I ask, "What do I lack, Jesus?" And I expect him to say, "Your good." And the Jesus I've been taught all my life, would say that. But Jesus in Matthew 19 says something completely different. He looks at me, at my $100 shoes, and $4 coffee's and says, "Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." And I picture him a little sad as he says it, knowing that my response won't be one of enthusiasm. It will be one of appall. What - sell everything?? Follow you, WHERE?? Isn't that irresponsible. Irrational. Unreasonable. He'd see past all my good intentions, all the times I served with false pretenses, all the times I choose to spend time doing my own thing instead of his, he'd see what my heart really desires. He'd see my plans to gather more stuff. To earn more money. To be more successful.

And the young man in Matthew 19, turned away sad, because he had great wealth. He couldn't surrender it all. And when I read this story before I thought, I'm not wealthy. I live simply. We have a modest income, just enough but not too much. We give. We aren't the wealthy. But then I went to Haiti, and we are the wealthy. And this story took on a whole new meaning.

I agree with Richard, God doesn't ask all of us to sell everything and move to a third world country. But he does ask for absolute surrender. A willingness and readiness to do just that, if he should ask. A order in our lives that puts him so far above all else, that selling everything is a simple sacrifice. That our lives would be about eternal significance instead of worldly success. And I've been that rich young man, who turned and walked away. It was too much to give up. His terms were too great.

The Prayer of Jabez....
I've read this book. It concludes that if we pray for God's blessings, we will receive them. If we pray for an increase, God will provide one. Do A - Get B. Back when I read it, there was a gap in it. Why didn't the martyrs pray like this? Wouldn't God have spared them? Why don't the poor in third world countries pray this, and God will change their situation. Why are there really godly people that can't pay their bills after a job loss. Maybe because God's blessings aren't what we consider blessings. Maybe his increase is different than our increase.

Frodo and The Ring of Power...
Ahhh...Frodo...just throw the ring in the hottest part of the fire. Let it go. Don't put it away. Anita, give up the house, the balance in your bank account, the security of regular income, and the $4 coffee's. Ummm...I'd like to keep at least one of those. The years I grew up poor, left a wound on my heart, that longs for the financial security and lifestyle in a deeply spiritual way. That makes the thought of living without - terrifying. On a core level. That can't be satisfied with a pat answer. That needs much, much more than a cliche to allow me to let go of the ring. That will need the power of who God is. And our financial situation currently is requiring me to deal with this anxiety. And I don't like it, frankly. Because I got enough to do. But God clearly is offering healing to this wound. And I'm reminding myself daily to surrender to him ALL things. To throw the ring in the fire, to let it go.

Richard ends the chapter with the story of how God wove together situation after situation to clearly define the path ahead. And how he became broken during the process. But back to Chapter two. Richard is counting the cost of taking the CEO job at World Vision, and he gets down to brass tacks. And as I read this, I heard my own voice saying the same things. "But, Lord, I don't want to do this. This will wreck my life. Don't send me to the poor, Lord- anywhere but there. But I can't do this, God. Not poverty, slums, hunger, disease, dying children, grieving parents - don't ask me to go there, Lord. Not into so much pain and suffering and despair. In those few seconds, all of those issues flashed through my head, because, you see, in my heart I knew what was at stake. God was asking me that day to choose. He was challenging me to decide what kind of disciple I was willing to be. Two decades earlier I had bet the farm on Jesus Christ and now he was asking me to hand over the deed. What was the most important thing in my life? He wanted to know."

And God is asking me through this process- Anita, are you willing? Really willing? God is doing something. He is preparing us for something. I'm afraid most days to be willing to even ask what it might be. I'm afraid to let my mind wander, to where he might take it. And yet, you either are willing to surrender completely, or you aren't really following Jesus. Jesus, that looks into our hearts condition and demands more than we can reasonably give. Because he doesn't just want 'Christians'. He wants people who love him, to love others. And that will require surrendering our all to him. It would require a surrender that could cost us everything earthly. A wiliness to change our definition of success from the worlds view to a eternal view. Sounds easy enough, until you start thinking about selling your home you love, giving up the job you've worked for, and choosing to be so different that your family stages an intervention. Suddenly, surrender has a really high price.