Very often - more often than we like to admit - we hold on to the things of this world and deny the deeper places of intimacy with Jesus Christ. We hold on to possessions as if they would save us from pain. We hold on to the desire for fame or recognition and deny the very existence of God in every area our life. We hold on to what others think of us and miss the rock solid anchor of our identity in Christ.
Reality is that anything we hold on to in place of Jesus is like holding onto absolutely nothing. It is when we place everything we have and everything we think and everything we hold dear upon the altar - or upon the cross - of Christ that we find what we were always looking for. Far too often, we fear loss of the things we hold on to and miss the One Who holds onto us!
[1Peter 1:3-9 NASB] 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to [obtain] an inheritance [which is] imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, [being] more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
The song this teaching is based on - If It Means More Glory - was born for a church Melinda and I helped found and were members of for 10 years. As is often the case, God brings about change and change brings about growth…even if it means momentary pain. After 10 years, God called our founding pastor away and we were left facing the departure of our pastor and his family. It felt sorrowful and devastating…and the dreaded day was drawing ever closer when we would have to say goodbye. As I sang over our little church one day, I saw us placing our pastor and his family on the altar. I was also facing some shifts and changes in my personal life and ministry and felt God calling me, once again, to place everything upon the altar. This song was born as a cry of my heart to give God glory in all circumstances…no matter what. We sang this song as a body for the first time just a few weeks before our pastor and his family left…and we corporately laid him and his family on the altar….and he and his family laid us there as well.
What do you need to lay on the altar today?
[Phl 3:7-11 NASB] 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from [the] Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which [comes] from God on the basis of faith, 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11 in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Jesus Christ gave Himself on the altar for us…and all He asks is that we do the same for Him. Not always easy but always worth it. It is a wise person who takes inventory of their life and willingly places each facet of that life on the altar of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a sacrifice of praise and a sacrifice of self…a denial of self…a giving away of self to gain what is even more real and more tangible than any earthly possession…to gain ever-deepening intimacy with Christ.
[Mat 16:24 NASB] 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
Let us do that this week…deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. Following Jesus always leads to growth and always leaves us enveloped in the very glory of His presence.
Dennis Jernigan
To hear the podcast version of this teaching and to hear the song referred to, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/if-it-means-more-glory/
Photo courtesy of https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/08/22/00/33/sky-2667455_1280.jpg