What Are You Dying For?

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Once John Maxwell’s leadership word for the day was Warrior.  He said that a warrior is best defined as the character, William Wallace from ‘Braveheart’. Wallace had a cause that he was so committed to that he was willing to die for it. In essence that is a warrior. His life’s cause earned him the title of Braveheart. Franklin Roosevelt once stated: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. We see this courage on display as Jesus lived His life on earth. We see it demonstrated in what He was willing to live and die for.

In the first temptation of Christ it is revealed what He was willing to live for. In the second temptation what He would die for: Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary. And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God.

1 John 4:18 states: There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

Jesus had heard the Father thunder, This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased!” Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. God His Father had drawn near and Love led Jesus on though the fasting, the wilderness, the hunger and thirsting. Love led Jesus through His earthly life and ministry, and Love led Him to the Garden of blood soaked, sweat and tearful prayers. Love led Jesus through the darkness of man’s questionings, beatings, and trumped up charges. Love led Jesus through the scourge of the soldiers whip, the splintered, crucifixion tree, and the nails that pierced His hands and feet; thorns that pierced His brow. And as death closed His eyes, with its cruel grip, Love warmed His heart on Resurrection morn. This is the Love that found us and the same Love that calls to us. This ascent, His Ascent, is for those warriors who shake off the self-centered, proud-filled, fears for something else and Someone Else – more important than fear. Love calls us Home and Love calls us higher. Are you hearing the call of Love? The call to Love?

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book The Last Battle: I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now….Come further up, come farther in!”

Two Altars

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Before the days of natural gas grills the majority of us simply stacked charcoal briquettes in the form of a blackened Mayan pyramid. This was followed by liberally dousing the “steps” of the pyramid with copious amounts of lighter fluid. Opening a box of Penley Strike Anywhere Matches, or Ohio Blue Tip Matches, we retrieved a match, taking care to safely close the box. Turning the box sideways, we narrowed our focus on the striking surface strip, in order to drag the tip of the match quickly across its surface. Performed correctly the match would quickly explode into a flame. Seasoned grillers learned quickly that following the burst of flame they would toss the match onto the briquettes with one single flick of the wrist….and ran like the blazes. Many novice priests to the charcoal altar typically lingered longer than they should have resulting in a burnt offering of hair and flesh on the steps of the Briquette Mayan Altar. The “burnt offering” was typically received by the grill god resulting in various meats being eaten and jubilantly received by all.

Hebrews 13:9-10 refers to 2 different types of altar in which sacrifices were typically offered: Do not be carried about by different and varied and alien teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established and ennobled and strengthened by means of grace (God’s favor and spiritual blessing) and not [to be devoted to] foods [rules of diet and ritualistic meals], which bring no [spiritual] benefit or profit to those who observe them. We have an altar from which those who serve and worship in the tabernacle have no right to eat.

One of those altars was reserved strictly for the Jewish Priesthood who dutifully offered the prescribed animal to its flames. This altar was one alien to most Gentile followers of Jesus ruled solely by rituals, fear and commands to be followed to the minutest detail. The altar of verse 10, however, was one of Grace that established, ennobled, and strengthened the heart of the worshipper. Both altars burned with fire. But only one altar caused your heart to catch fire. The former, simply left the heart of priest and worshipper weary from meaningless observance of ritual.

The question I want you to pray through today is, Which altar have you been sacrificing at? The Altar of ritual, commands, and lifeless observance or the Altar of Grace which causes its worshippers to catch fire with love, and a life for Jesus? Has your heart ever burned brightly for Jesus?

Humility of Hunger

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By the year 2030 30% of the inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa will have the highest rate of undernourishment in the world. In the documentary, The Most Dangerous Ways To School, Massai children, ages 4-11, are recorded as having walked from 10-20 kilometers (6-12 miles), one way – each day, in order to attend school. Many walk these distances with no food in their bellies, facing the constant threat of attacks from Elephants, Leopards, Lions, and alligators which inhabit the only source of drinking water for miles.

Jesus hungered following His forty days without food. When tempted to make bread from stones, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Cross referencing this passage of Scripture you receive greater insight into the purpose of fasting:  2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Fasting reminds us to humble ourselves along with the worlds population that goes to bed hungry many a night. Fasting reminds us what we really should be living for – the Words that proceed out of the Mouth of God; Heaven’s Manna. Fasting reminds us what’s really in our hearts.

Yesterday I asked, How can we go outside the camp to meet Jesus? We meet Jesus outside the camp when we humble ourselves through prayer, and fasting, going without food in order that we might position ourselves to live only for the words that proceed from the mouth of God.

Going Outside the Camp

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When Jesus was filled with the Spirit following His Baptism He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to pray and fast in preparation for the launching of the Kingdom of God. You could say that he went outside the camp. Question is, What does this phrase mean and how does it apply to our time of seeking to draw near to Jesus with a whole-heart?

Exodus 33:7 Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.

Moses took his own tent and pitched it far off from the camp. When you look at this symbolically you will quickly notice it was Moses’ tent, and no one else’s. The Apostle Paul referred to our earthly house, our bodies, as earthly tents (2 Cor. 5:1, 4). Symbolically speaking, you can apply the Exodus passage to your own spiritual life by asking the question, How can I take my own tent; my own spiritual house outside the camp to meet with God?

But that leads to another question: What is the Camp? What’s in the Camp that Moses was seeking to get far away from? Does this refer to just the day to day activities that took place inside the encampment of the children of Israel? Was Moses departure from the Camp focused only on physically removing himself from the circumstances of day to day life in the camp or was he seeking something more?

Hebrews 13:13 encourages all believers to get outside the camp when it states: Let us then go forth [from all that would prevent us] to Him outside the camp [at Calvary], bearing the contempt and abuse and shame with Him.

Here’s what I want you to pray towards during this time of fasting: How can I meet Jesus outside the camp? Ask the Lord to reveal to you how He wants you to meet Him outside the camp. Then watch, and listen for how He will answer you.