My life is not about me.

Revelation 12:10-11

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

That's where I want to be.

I want to love Jesus so much that if it means death, I will choose to share my life as a story of His glory and not mine. Proclamations of love can't just be said, they must be shown. And boy is this a way to show it.

Lots of people love to play the gun game.

"If a gun was pointed at your head and they would shoot you for what you believed in, would you deny your faith?"

I'm not even gonna talk about that. That scenario's impossible to imagine and romanticizing your faith is a cripple to how we should be growing presently in our context. I'm not saying people don't have to deal with this in some way in the U.S. but I haven't had to just yet. I'd rather focus on the present implications of this passage in my life. And besides, showing love is not about how you get out of a situation that you're placed in, it's about what situations you decide to put yourself in. Instead I'll ask this question:

"If you had the opportunity to share the most shameful thing about your life in hopes that it would bring glory to God, would you share it?"

This is what can happen when you value the love of Christ in your life more than your life itself.

What sort of action does this philosophy imply?
This perspective teaches that you should look forward to making Christ look beautiful at the expense of yourself looking like a fool. That's love isn't it? Even Hollywood understands this in some way. In all those cheesy romantic movies the guy does something incredibly stupid for the girl at the end and everyone sees him as a fool (except for her, she ends up loving him because of it). But he did that "stupid" stuff before he knew it would pay off. That's faith! That's what Christ did for His bride! He "foolishly" gave up his life as He died on the cross because He knew by faith that it would bring glory to His Father. He valued the love of God in His life more than His own life and chose to express it to those who were called to Him at the expense of His life. He was looking forward to making his Father look beautiful at the expense of Himself looking like a fool. That's the response we should crave from experiencing such a love.

Because your steadfast love is better than life,
   my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
   in your name I will lift up my hands. (Psalm 63:3-4)

So is showing a love like this even possible?
Well, we'll get to that, but here's the place to start.
Let everything that you possess bring glory to God. Even your weaknesses.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

It's more than just difficult to sacrifice yourself out of your own power. It's impossible. We feel too entitled to things, experiences, relationships based on who we are apart from God. This is what happened to Jesus' #1 disciple Peter when he denied knowing Him. If you can't empathize with Peter, maybe this'll help.




Lyrics are here http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Like-Moths-To-Flame-lyrics-Thrice/1B44352B84C4C2AC48257084000E801A

Peter later became a BEAST for the Lord. If you don't believe me, read the book of Acts. How was that done? Through the Holy Spirit. But this gift wasn't available until the the day of Pentecost after Jesus was raised from the dead and lifted into heaven. Think of it as a sign and a proof that only the power of God can move us into complete submission. John 7:39 says,

But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Let me point something out for all of us. What do we deserve based on who we are apart from Christ? Death. That's the only thing we're entitled to. So every moment you are breathing, you are receiving what you are not entitled to.

That's why we need a new identity. Hallelujah! For those of us who have found that in Christ, we can unashamedly ask God for anything as if it were ours BECAUSE IT IS! HALLELUJAH!

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Am I too cowardly to share, for example, where the physical realities of lust have taken me? To be looked at as either desperate or "less of a man?" Well these things are in my condition and do point to those conclusions. But I'll be even "less of a man" if I don't own up to them and allow God to move in and change them. One thing's for sure, when that happens I'll be "more of a man."
Living to praise-[God].

God uses this boldness for His kingdom! By publicly opening up our wounds, we begin to be healed and in the process, God heals others!