The words are all in red,
Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7,
words straight from the Word, Himself.
Those words,
they’re bugging me,
getting under my skin,
sneaking into my thoughts unbidden.
Some call it the fasted lifestyle,
the kingdom lifestyle.
I call it hard,
uncomfortable,
radical,
scary even.
But, He isn’t letting me ignore them,
these radical words of His.
Costly words,
lay it all down words,
say goodbye to self and man’s recognition words.
This gospel,
these words from the Man Himself,
aren’t very popular,
not very American prosperity-ish,
they’re so very lay it all down-ish,
so very Jesus freak-ish,
so very it’s not about me-ish.
I like to be liked.
I like to be accepted.
I like to be thought of as nice and kind and sweet and thoughtful.
Weird, people will think I’m weird,
if these three chapters become my standard for living.
I have a feeling I’m either all out or all in,
it’s not a pick and choose the parts I like lifestyle.
Courage,
I need Him to give me the courage,
to say YES wholeheartedly.
Love,
I need His love,
His help,
to love Him wholeheartedly enough
to be all in.
Still following,
Elizabeth
WOW, this was amazing!
ReplyDeleteI try to live completely abandoned to Him. I know I am a work in progress, but the further along He and I go, the better it gets. His will, not mine, I pray.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post.
jesus does call us, not to a comfortable life, but something truly radical...and that is scary...and not the easy street we are often sold...
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on this one, Elizabeth! I follow Jesus with the greatest of trepidation--knowing the path is steep and the best in the dying. But I'm so glad he holds my hand tight all along the way. Thanks for your vulnerability and inspirational challenges here!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is preaching on these chapters. We'll finish chapter 5 on Sunday. Last week we were challenged to look for opportunities to put verses 38-42 into practice. Ours happened within 24 hours! (Probably more to come yet this week...) Really, if one IS part of the Kingdom, it's hard to escape the "radical" opportunities and lifestyle we are called to live. Daily.
ReplyDeleteno, "not very American prosperity-ish" at all, is it? subversive and hard...and yet my defiance is always the harder way! funny how it can work like that.
ReplyDeletegood stuff, here.
God's good at that ... letting his Word get under our skin. :) Praying for courage now... for you and me both, sister.
ReplyDeleteI love how you called it "not so American prosperityish". What a great line that is. I did a study with my class on those chapters about a year or so ago. I could not agree more about the way they get under your skin.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Part of those chapters make me rejoice and thoroughly restore my heart and let my spirit g..r..o..w! Then... there are a few of the other bits than make me twinge and shudder. Can't do them. [Won't tell you which ones, b/c then you'd know me too well, too soon. ;-)]
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your insight. Appreciated.
yes.
ReplyDeletehe has been calling me to this radical lifestyle too.
and it's so hard and beautiful and ... hard.
and worth it. xo
I long to be called out of my comfort zone. He is calling me, but I can't seem to get beyond the gate. It's scary, this life of total abandonment. But I know that is where my true satisfaction lies. I am reading the book "7", and praying about taking on the challenges in the next couple of months. I keep saying, "Lord, I don't have much to give", but I realize I have too much.
ReplyDelete