Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Romans 12:1
“I am convinced that anyone who brings up the question of consequences in the Christian life is only a mediocre and common Christian! I have known some who were interested in the deeper life but began asking questions: “What will it cost me – in terms of time, in money, in effort, in the matter of my friendships?” Others ask of the Lord when He calls them to move forward: “Will it be safe?” This question comes out of our constant bleating about security and our everlasting desire for safety above all else. A third question that we want Him to answer is: “Will it be convenient?”
What must our Lord think of us if His work and His witness depend on the security and the safety and the convenience of His people? No element of sacrifice, no bother, no disturbance – so we are not getting anywhere with God! We have stopped and pitched our tent halfway between the swamp and the peak. We are mediocre Christians.”
A.W. Tozer (1897-1963) in Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings is a revised edition of Renewed Day by Day, vol. 2. Compiled by Gerald B. Smith (Chicago: Moody, 2008) reading for 9 May.
What measure of sacrifice, bother, and disturbance is there in your Christian faith?
Perhaps it’s time to learn some new disciplines. Try the three that were central to Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matthew 6:1-18). As we approach Easter, join Christians around the world in observing Lent.
Add sacrifice to your giving by thinking of those less fortunate and sharing some of what you have with them. Add bother to your schedule by carving out more time for prayer and less time for some other activities. Add disturbance to your diet by fasting from something so you can feast on Jesus.
We observe Lent because it helps us move from mediocre Christianity to the deeper life that God wants for us. Jenni and I have developed three different Lenten resources. If you’d like PDF copies of them, simply reply to this email and I can send them to you. A little sacrifice, bother, and disturbance just might change your life!