“They loved not their lives unto death…”(Revelation 12.11)
What is it about that rare kind of Christian, who in the core of his being burns with the desire to impact his generation with the power of the Holy Spirit and leave a legacy that will haunt the complacent till they breathe their last? As if he has genuinely been issued a divine call, he chooses to live it, breathe it and empty every ounce of his life upon that which he has directed his heart toward.
What happened to him to cause him to exchange his natural desires of governing his own path, creating his own reputation and living in the common self-preservation current of life, for a courageous, relentless zeal that drives him to seek God with all his heart and pour his life out for the gospel? He lives to maintain a steady, uncompromising stance and continual pursuit of God and souls.
Why is it that this is so attractive, so inspiring and challenging? Is it not because all of us Christians have tucked away inside of ourselves such an abandonment no matter how hidden, yet no less real?
Is it not that you desire to live wholeheartedly set on such a fixed end, so that in your last moments having apprehended it or facing death for it, you know deep inside you have invested sincerely, truthfully and completely in the only thing worthy to live and die for?
The most dangerous men are those whose lives are lost in the abyss of absolute surrender!
Is this not the mentality of the martyr, looked on at the time of his death as a fool, but honored in the future as a man who has chosen not to hide that abandonment that every Christian has inside?
Here I am, you as well, with the opportunity before us to choose to continue to be haunted by the lives of those who gave themselves for their cause, or to choose as they have, to give our lives to the only thing worth the liquid soul in our veins. Every man will one day have his final thoughts; he will turn around on life’s path and see where his blood has been spent. There, in that moment will undoubtedly be the true test of a man’s soul.
We all only have one life.
One life made up of time, consisting of moments, and even as you read this now, your life heads toward its end.
So, as the martyr smiles at the axe, for in its shine he sees his legacy, the coward weeps at his past, for in his tears he sees his lethargy, complacency and decadence. He sees a weak, lost life, blown away in the wind and eternally worthless.
Why write such thoughts? To what end or conclusion do such sobering thoughts bring us to?
Well read them well and let them resound with an ever-lasting echo which walks by your side down a crowded road or haunts you in the silence of solitude.
Who are you, dear reader, today?
Will you stay that way?
Think on this.
2 Corinthians 5:9-11 Therefore also we have as our ambition…to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Therefore knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.
1 Peter 1:17 And if you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each man’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay upon earth;
Romans 14:12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Matthew 16:24-27 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it. “For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.
I issue a challenge to you, in light of such a coming day, fearfully conduct yourselves as Christians heading toward an impartial day of judgment. It will not be a day to take a written examination to test your knowledge nor a day to look over your resume’ of service, but a day in which God will contrast your image with the image of His Son.
Take a serious look at your…
Mind (thought life)
Motives (the why behind your actions)
Mouth (the idle words/preaching)
Money (stewardship of substance)
Ministry (what is God doing through you?)
Message (what you are teaching)
Marriage (what your spouse has to say about you)
Minutes (how you spend your time?)
Seriously ask yourself if they are worthy of the call (1 Thess. 2.12).
Now is not the time to sit back and coast, now is the time to press in!
“Now is the time where we either seize the moment, or look back with everlasting shame that we missed it.”
~Dr. Michael L. Brown
Surrender everything!
Go After Him!
Eric Gilmour is an Associate Editor for Voice of Revolution, overseeing Revival & Evangelism. Visit his website at agonypress.podbean.com
© Eric Gilmour for Voice of Revolution, 2011. | Permalink