More Than a Passing Flicker

"What is the secret to great living? Entire separation to Christ and devotion to Him. Thus speaks every man and woman whose life has made more than a passing flicker in the spiritual realm. It is the life that has no time for trifling that counts." -Amy Charmichael

Maybe it's all the hype about Veritas Forum that has gotten me focused on this topic, or maybe it's my excitement about summer missions opportunities, but for some reason I can't get my mind off of the cost of discipleship and the thrill of following Jesus with reckless abandon.

I am on a secular campus. It seems that it would follow that I would be exposed to thousands of opportunities every day to share the Gospel with lost people! The truth is, however, that my freshman year has not been like that. Although I am so very thankful for the great Christian friends I have made here, I feel like I have, yet again, caught myself up in the Christian "bubble" that I was comfortable with in high school. And this is terribly, terribly wrong.

The Bible does call for discipleship. It also calls for growth through the surrounding of good Christian fellowship. But one thing that we must also remember is that Christianity carries a heavy price- which is required for every professing believer in Christ. When will we truly understand this?

Luke 21:12-19... read it. It's too long for me to include the whole passage here, but I will emphasize verses 16-19:

"You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and
they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of me. But not
a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life."- Luke
21:16-19

Do you notice an inconsistency? Some will be put to death, yet not a hair of your head will perish? Luke was not creating a contradiction, he was simply conveying a very profound concept... to live is Christ, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). We may die and be taken from the earth for the sake of the Gospel, but we will ultimately not perish. Christians should not fear death because we will be going to live with the Lord and worship Jesus Christ!

So if dying is gain, and we do not fear death, and we will not perish (eternally speaking), why are we so afraid to push away from our comfort zones and limitations? Why do we feel so ashamed, bashful, and timid about the one thing that means the most to us? I could talk for days to anything with ears about my love for the Louisville Cardinals and food. Is it really that difficult to share with others about my love for Christ?

"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot
be my disciple." -Luke 14:33

I wish to be the Christian that gives up absolutely everything I have for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel. Not for my own gain or prideful glory, but solely for God and His glory alone! I wish to be His disciple; I wish to actually put these thoughts into action as I go to class and go halfway across the world. I wish for people to see my blistered feet and ask why I take on so much trouble to tell them the Good News. So, let's go! Let's be whole-hearted disciples of Christ!

"Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." -Psalm
63:3