The Goal

I feel like the most inconsistent blogger ever. But the truth is, I often think "hey, I should post something on my blog", but then I open up a new post and my mind goes blank. Throughout the day, at work, I often think of something that I'd like to share on my blog, but then by the time I actually get home from work, the idea seems irrelevant.

But this, this I have to talk about. Because I work most weekends, I don't get around to going to church much. I think I've been to church 3 times in the last 3 months. It's a shame because I really miss it. But anyway, because of this, I've been listening to messages online from the church that my parents go to. For the last month or so, this church has been doing a message series on Jesus. So far, I've only listened to the first message... and I was astonished by how much I was challenged by it.

How many times in your life have you heard the phrase 'it's all about Jesus'? This is an absolute truth, but Christians have made it into a cliché. A cliché is an expression that has lost its effectiveness by being overused. We've used the phrase 'it's all about Jesus' so many times that we've lost the true meaning of it. We toss this phrase around so flippantly and then go on to live lives that are actually all about ourselves, not all about Jesus.

Then the pastor showed us an example of a life that was actually 'all about Jesus'. This was the life of Paul. "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8) Paul gave up everything just to know Jesus. Because the worth of knowing Him is far greater than the worth of anything else. But the sad thing is, we've even made this verse a cliché. We go around preaching this verse to other people, then we go and live for the rubbish. Do you know what rubbish is? It's garbage, it's junk, it's waste. The King James Version of the Bible even calls it dung. Is that really worth more than knowing Christ?

I think the reason many of us have come to live this way is because we've reduced Christianity to a set of doctrines. Do this, and don't do that, pray like this, and don't pray like that, behave in this way, and don't behave in that way... and you'll get to heaven. But the thing is: heaven isn't the goal. Getting into heaven isn't why we're Christians. I've been around way too many people who believe that heaven is the goal in their Christian walk. And a lot of these people seem very legalistic to me.

Heaven isn't the goal, loving God is the goal. Being in relationship with Jesus is the goal.

Which commandment is the most important of all? "Jesus answered, 'Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:29-30)

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." (John 15:10-11)

None but Jesus

So I understand that it's been while...

Summer camp has now come to an end. I'm sure you realize that the reason I haven't posted a blog entry in so long is that camp has been super duper busy! Even though I really want to fill you all in on everything I've learned and everything I've experienced in the last 2 1/2 months, I honestly just can't. There's been so much that I can't physically relay it all to you in a blog post. But I will tell you about the one major lesson God taught me this summer.

So, if I'm being honest, I had a really hard time focusing on Christ this summer. There was one thing that I was constantly putting before Christ. I knew it was wrong, I knew I was sinning, but I just couldn't seem to let go of this one thing. Then finally, during Senoir High 2, God threw a bucket of cold water on my face (so to speak, of course). This was the week that my body decided that it wanted to burn out and part of my heart decided that I no longer wanted to care.

On the Tuesday afternoon of that week, I decided to spend my free time napping. But that napping changed into tossing and turning for a half hour. I knew that the Holy Spirit was convicting me of this idol I had put up in my life. I admit, I tried to justify my feelings about this idol... but I mean, it's God. He's ultimately always right. Justifying my actions just tired me out more actually. It was kinda dumb, and I was being a baby about it.

I ended up running into one of the other workers, who asked me what was up. So I told him that the Holy Spirit was convicting me on something and that I was being a baby about it. When I told him that I didn't know what to do, his response was "well, just stop being a baby about it". I was scheduled to do worship during After 8 that night, so I went up to practice with the band. The music director suggested that I sing a song called "None but Jesus", which ended up cutting the last little piece of thread that was holding me together.

The lines in the chorus go:
There is no one else for me
None but Jesus, crucified to set me free
Now I live to bring Him praise

God taught me that week that there really isn't supposed to be anyone or anything above Christ. God also taught me that He can't just be first on some list of priorities, He needs to saturate every single little thing on that list. I learned at Capernwray that Christ is my life. I guess this summer I forgot that... but I've been reminded again and I will continue to be reminded of that every day because God won't let me forget.

Here's a few verses that God used to teach me this summer:

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
- 1 Corinthians 2:2

"To them [his saints] God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
- Colossians 1:27-28

"Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these things the wrath of God is coming."
- Colossians 3:5-6

I challenge you: is Christ #1 on your priority list or does He permeate everything on that list?