Last time I talked about the call by Jesus on each of us. But other than just putting my trust in him, and following him, and having an assurance of heaven, is this supposed to accomplish more than something just for me?
Jesus told his apostles to go into the world and spread the message of salvation. He also said that it was up to us to bring comfort to the widow, to protect the orphan, to love and serve others in the world. My pastor this past Sunday, after showing this video, made this statement: “The reality is that we are God’s plan for this world.”
This is not a song with lyrics; it is an amazing video. Watch it, and think about how God can use you.
In my last post, I discussed the way Jesus had an influence on the people he met, an influence that made them give up everything and follow him.
Some of the people in Israel in Jesus’ day got a chance to actually meet him, and hear his call. And ever since the day the resurrected Jesus sent his Holy Spirit out to indwell people and to create the Church, millions more have had a chance to hear the call of Jesus. The call to simply follow and obey.
Again from Steven Curtis Chapman, this time the title song from his 1990 album For The Sake Of The Call.
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
For the sake of the call
Nobody stood and applauded them
So they knew from the start
This road would not lead to fame
All they really knew for sure was Jesus had called to them
He said “Come follow me” and they came
With reckless abandon they came
Empty nets lying there at the waters edge
Told a story that few could believe and none could explain
How some crazy fishermen agreed to go where Jesus lead
With no thought for what they would gain
For Jesus had called them by name and they answered
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
For the sake of the call
Drawn like the rivers are drawn to the sea
No turning back, for the water cannot help but flow
Once we hear the Savior’s call we’ll follow wherever he leads
Because of the love he has shown
And because he has called us to go we will answer
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
Not for the sake of a creed or a cause Not for a dream or a promise
Simply because it is Jesus who calls
And if we believe we’ll obey
We will abandon it all for the sake of the call
No other reason at all but the sake of the call
Wholly devoted to live and to die
For the sake of the call
Imagine being there at work, doing what you do every day. Same old routine as always, same people, same activities.
And then someone comes up, and tells you to follow him. You’ve never met this person before … and yet, not only do you decide to do what he said, but you leave your job behind.
What kind of crazy is this? You left behind your only means of income, and followed someone just because he asked you?? What kind of person does it take to motivate you to leave it all behind and follow him?
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus does just this with Peter and his brother Andrew. And from this passage, there is no statement about hesitation or second thoughts on the part of these two men. It says that “At once they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:20)
Why did they do this? Was it because they didn’t really like the fishing anyway, and this sounded like a better deal? Or was it because of the person who asked them. Was there just something about him?
BIll & Gloria Gaither released a classic album in 1973 called Alleluia!: A Praise Gathering For Believers. This track, There’s Something About That Name, tells about Jesus, and his profound influence on several people whose stories are told in the Bible. It is just an introduction to the way in which Jesus has affected millions over the ages and also today.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
Became a man, like us.
He walked the hills
Went to the cities
Walked the seashores
He met people where they were
And one by one, he changed their lives.
“My brother and I are fishermen
We don’t know a lot about politics or religion
We just know a lot about fishing.
First time I ever heard His name
My brother came down and said
‘You just have to meet this man’
So I went. So I met him.
He looked at me and said
‘Come on along. Come on with me.’
There’s just something about him.
Just … there’s just something about him.
We just gave it all up
Gave up the boats and the nets, the fishing.
Just went with him.
And I’ve been with him ever since.”
Jesus
Jesus!
Oh, there’s something
Something about that Name
Master, Savior
Jesus
It’s like a fragrance
After a summer rain
Jesus
Jesus
Let all heaven, let the earth
Let us all proclaim
Kings and kingdoms
Well, they’ll all fade away
Yet there’s
Oh, there’s something about his Name.
“I’m a business man here in Jericho
Well really, I’m a tax collector
He came to my house for dinner one day
We talked for a while
And, well, I don’t know what happened to me
But I ended giving half of everything I own to poor people
And to those who I cheated,
I gave back four times the amount I took.
There’s just something about him.”
“I was at the well drawing water when I first met him.
Naturally, I offered him a drink.
But he wasn’t like the other men I know
He seemed to look right through me
He told me everything I’d ever done
I never met a man like this man.
He forgave me.”
And that’s how it was
People everywhere
Whether they were rich or poor
Young or old
Mighty, lowly
When they met this Jesus,
Things happened.
Their lives were changed.
“Me? I don’t know whether he’s good or bad.
I do know that once I was blind
But now I can see!”
Kings and their kingdoms
Well, they’ll all pass away
And when they’ve all passed into eternity
There’ll still be something
About that Name
Life can be such a precarious balance, even the Christian life. There are many statements made in the Bible that warn against pride, and not thinking about yourself more highly than you ought. Jesus made a point to remind the people to whom He preached that the foundation of the Law was to love God (Mark 12:30) and to love their neighbors as themselves (Mark 12:31); in otherwords, to focus on others.
There are many ways that we can work on to better love our neighbor. But how can I love my neighbor if my “love” for myself is so poor as to be almost non-existant? What if I dislike or even actually hate myself? A healthy, appropriate self-love may need to be cultivated in order to be able to properly love someone else.
A person I know quite well would often say, with great seriousness, how she was “stupid”, and would verbally degraded herself about her appearance and skills. It made my heart ache when I would hear her say these things.
As a physician, I see people all the time who practice denial about issues regarding their health. No, I don’t really have diabetes; no, my high blood pressure is not a problem; no, I don’t have cancer; and don’t you try to tell me otherwise. The reality is that yes, that person does have that disease. They have chosen to live in a delusion that pretends there is no problem.
In the same way, my friend created about her appearance and her abilities a delusion that she chose to live in. This delusion made her act as if the truth about her did not exist, the truth that she does have skills and intelligence and beauty.
What she forgot about was that God made her, and He made her with all of her skills and abilities. He touched her at the moment of her birth, and made her for a purpose. Indeed, every bit of her is covered with God’s touch – his fingerprints, you might say. And God “don’t make junk”.
Steven Curtis Chapman on his 1999 album Speechless included the song Fingerprints Of God that expresses this so well. It is a re-affirmation that every one of us was made by God, and that He loves us intensely, and wants us to view ourselves with truth: Not denying our failings, but also not amplifying them out of all proportion.
I played this song for my friend. I hope she got the message.
I can see the tears filling your eyes
And I know where they’re coming from
They’re coming from a heart that’s broken in two
By what you don’t see
The person in the mirror
Doesn’t look like the magazine
Oh, but when I look at you it’s clear to me
That I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it’s true
You’re a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you’re covered with the fingerprints of God
Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by God’s hand
And perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what He’s been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living breathing priceless work of art
And I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it’s true
You’re a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you’re covered with the fingerprints of God
Just look at you
You’re a wonder in the making
Oh, and God’s not through, no
In fact, He’s just getting started
And I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know it’s true
You’re a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you’re covered with the fingerprints of God
You are covered with the fingerprints of God
You are covered with the fingerprints of God
Yes you are
You are covered with the fingerprints of God
made in the Bible that warn against pride, and not thinking about yourself more highly than you ought. Jesus made a point to remind the people to whom He preached that the foundation of the Law was to love God (Mark 12:30) and to love their neighbors as themselves (Mark 12:31); in otherwords, to focus on others.