STYLING AND PROFILING

"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Jesus. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their faith for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved praise from men more than praise from God." - John 12:42-43

Every person on the face of the planet must at some point make a decision as to what they truly believe about Jesus. Was he just a good man, did he exist at all or was he really the Son of God who rose from the dead? I have written more in detail about this on an older post, click here to read why I think the later is true.

If we're all to be honest, I fear many of us or are like the religious leaders in John that ride the fence when it comes to Jesus. We know we badly need a savior and want to put our faith in him but we are so scared to do so for fear of what that would mean. We're afraid that choosing to believe and follow Him would change our life completely, putting our reputation and life of comfort at stake, so we decide against it. Instead we choose to spend our time worried about "styling and profiling" as Dr. Rick Rigsby likes to say, looking good for other people, buying stuff, getting recognized and showing off.

We are much like the rich young ruler in Luke 18 who asked Jesus what to do in order to receive eternal life. Jesus replied, "Sell everything you have and give to the poor....Then come, follow me." Jesus knew the young ruler and we as humans like to follow God with stings attached and that's exactly why he told him to let go before he could follow. He is telling you and I the very same thing today. Following Jesus doesn't mean we'll become poor but it does mean rearranging our priorities so that he always comes first. We give him control of our finances and give money away if that's what he asks. We give him our time and become willing to serve others and not just ourselves. When Jesus becomes of utmost importance to us, everything else from our reputation to finances is now of secondary importance and takes a back seat to God being glorified in and through our lives. Jesus' response saddened the rich young ruler and it is what keeps many of us from following God with all our heart, soul, mind, time, and energy. We hold out on Christ, giving him only the parts of us that are easy to give while holding onto the things we value most. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus reminds us what following him really means. "No man can serve two masters. He will always love one and hate the other." If we really believe in God's Son we are told to "follow Him" but before we do we need to give him free reign in our lives. Following God while holding onto the things of this world is the equivalent of bringing everything you own on a hiking trip through the woods. Our stuff and our possessions inevitably slow us down and hinder us from being able to follow our guide. Are you willing to lighten you pack so you can follow better?

Just like the leaders in John 12, our reason for holding out on God is usually the fear of what other people will think. "We are more concerned with the praise of men than the praise of God" and fear the opinions of people more than how we are viewed by the God of the universe. Now that's doesn't sound right. JR Vasser, a pastor in New York, uses the following list of questions from Ed Welch's book "When people are big and God is small" to help you and I identify whether we're living for the right reasons.

• Do you crave the compliments of others or ever say derogatory things about yourself so that people will correct you with a compliment?
• Do you spend you life managing your reputation?
• Are you overly concerned about your weight, the way you look or the way you dress?
• Do you feel unappreciated or that people don't notice all the things you do?
• To you make excuses for your mistakes, justify your actions or shift blame to avoid failure?
• Do you show favoritism to people who can do something for you or make you look good?
• Are you over committed because of an incessant need to feel that you matter?
• Do you get nervous about being or speaking in groups?
• Do you spend money trying and live the type of life you or others think you should?
• Do you compare yourself to others and feel good when you win and bad when you lose?
  

These things above all describe the fear of man and will hold a person in horrible, miserable bondage for as long as they'll allow it. The fear of man has no limit and viciously consumes until all the life and joy has been sucked out of a man. We must remember that God defines success, wealth and beauty much different than the rest of the world and all that matters is how we are viewed in his eyes.

In Matthew 10:33, Jesus reminds us that fearing man in the place of God has eternal repercussions. "But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." Choosing to follow Christ comes with a cost. It might change the way we live and will certainly change the way we are viewed by some by the reward is far greater. In choosing to fear Christ above man we are guaranteed an eternal inheritance beyond description and an abundant life while on earth full of the purpose and peace that can only come through serving God.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his soul?" -Luke 9:23-25

Matt Chandler likes to say that Jesus has lots of admirers but few disciples. Will you continue to admire him from afar for fear of what it would mean to really follow or will you throw aside the opinions and values of this world in order to be his disciple?