Heart Tracks - The Question

"At this point many of His disciples turned away and deserted Him. Then Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, 'Are you going to leave too?' Simon Peter replied, 'Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.' " John 6:66-68...."Have we made the choice that no matter what, whether we see, understand, agree, or not, we are going on with God? This is faith; we put over to Him our mistakes and failures, trusting Him with all of them, and we go on." T. Austin-Sparks

At some point, Jesus' question to His disciples, and Sparks question to us, will have to asked and answered. They can't be avoided. When Jesus asked His disciples to give to Him complete devotion, regardless of the cost, most of them turned away. His demand offended them. Offended their flesh. We need to know beyond doubt that Jesus Christ will most certainly ask of us that which offends the flesh. He will also lead to places that offend us, deal with us in ways that offend us. If we have not settled what our answer is to the above questions, than we can be sure that we, as did the above disciples, will turn away at some point in the journey. Note, I didn't say we'd stop going to church, doing good works, reading the Word, or giving money. I said we'd stop following Him with all of our heart and being. The cross He has called us to pick up and join Him in carrying, will be laid aside. And we'll step aside with it.

Too many of us want to walk with Him with divided hearts. We're willing to give of ourselves up to a point. We'll give a "tithe" of our life, but not all of it. We'll be partly available, but not completely. Some part of our life will be died out to self, but not all of it. We'll retain our rights, at least in part.

I was both moved and convicted by something I read the other day from a missionary nurse in Central America. Several members of a remote village had given their hearts to Christ. They asked if they might have a pastor. A young man who'd been assisting a pastor felt called to go to them. He took his family and went, walking most of the way. A long way. Months later, the missionary nurse visited the village, and was brokenhearted at the condition of the pastor and family. The village was poor in every way. Poverty was rampant, and the pastor's family was literally starving, yet in the midst, she heard no complaint from them. The pastor, with unbounded joy, spoke of all the lives that were coming to Christ as a result of the sacrifice being made. What glory for God. What conviction for me, as I wonder if I could do as he did? I contrast this with something I heard my District Superintendent speak of a few years back. A young seminary graduate had contacted him saying he desired to come to our District and seek to reach lost souls. He wanted to go to the various local coffeehouses and seek opportunities to share Jesus with the people there. That's a noble desire. The problem is, he wanted $60,000 a year to do so. Contrast this with that young Central American pastor. Which do you think has settled the questions asked above? Which blessed the heart of Christ? And which could live in assurance that He would, even in the direst circumstances, take care of him?

The questions are before us. Before you. Before me. Have we made the decision, the choice, that no matter what the cost, the direction, or the place He calls and leads us to, we will go on with Him? Has the self life with all its ambitions and cares been crucified, so that, as Paul writes, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in (and through) me? The Holy Spirit puts the questions to us. The choice is clear. What do we choose?

Blessings,
Pastor O