Sometimes I sigh at the lack of passion for Christ I see these days, and other times I stumble upon people or events that bless and remind me that the cause of Christ is still very much alive.
A thought entered my mind recently that has continued to haunt the recesses of my soul for the past few days. I was reading a solid biography of a Christian hero from time past along with a chapter or two from Nehemiah and Ezra and was struck by their authenticity and absolute abandonment to doing God's will. Then I looked at us, namely the church of today, and for a split second (actually call that a minute) I was afraid that we're all shell and no substance. A bit like Pharisees with whitewashed tombs and decaying bones on the inside.
It is hard to find men today who pray and repent as passionately as Ezra did in Ezra 9:1-10:1. I read his story a couple weeks ago and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to our world today if we had men who loved truth as strongly as he did, were humble enough to repent like him, and courageous enough to call for that kind of restitution. I mean, he was absolutely radical.
When he found out that some Jewish men had taken wives from heathen nations, he was so sorry he made confession for their nation, wept, and cast himself down before the house of God. (Ezra 10:1) Interestingly, the latter part of the verse says that a very great assembly of men, women, and children gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. (ESV) Obviously, his attitude affected those following him. In the end, Ezra spares nothing and commands all the men to put away their heathen wives and the children from those unions. Quite radical indeed. Many people today, get rid of only as much sin as needed to look Christian on the outside and put their troubled conscience to temporary rest.
Later on, I read the story of Mother Theresa, a Catholic nun from the early 1900s. She was willing to leave her comfortable life of teaching in a convent and enter the slums of India to reach the dying, impoverished, and hopeless. I had to wonder how many of us as Christian women today hold our lives so lightly that we would be willing to leave comfort, family, and home to live in dangerous, impoverished places at the call of God.
What are we made of is my question. What really at the bottom of our hearts? What do we love the most? What would be willing to die for? Willing to live for? Willing to suffer for? Willing to look stupid for?
It is my prayer that more and more of us will begin abandoning all to follow a living Christ. To risk everything for the promise of eternity. The world may call us foolish but the cross of Christ is foolishness to them that don't believe.
Our world, our churches, our families, are begging for the real deal. The kind of Christianity that flames and burns and endures with the grit of true courage, love, loyalty. Only when we get on our knees and beg our Father to instill in us His heart, His truth, and His passion will the world begin to truly see Jesus.
Way of the Cross
Alyssa Horst
The world may forsake and friends may turn against me.
I may not be rich or own the world's best home.
But in my heart there is happiness, that never once was there.
'Cause Jesus now is living in my life every day.
I'll give up all to follow Christ
No back roads gonna lead me home.
There's no short cuts that I have found
Only one way will pull me through.
It's the way of the cross.
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