Following Judah's Lion

It Will Cost You

It doesn't come to you on a silver platter, you have got to want it above everything else. That means you have got to pursue it above everything else while you are doing everything else. The first step to desiring it supremely is recognizing you don't. Everything else will fight you with every distraction, attraction, endurance, conflict, time, and with all that is in the world.

You can memorize the entire Bible and not reach it.You can know all the Greek and Hebrew and not have it.
You can write your own exhaustive systematic theology and be far from it.
You can be Calvinistic or Arminian and still be on the sidelines.
You can preach on every verse in the Bible and not arrive at it.
You can witness and not progress toward it.You can be doctrinally pure and be far from it.
You can speak out against the falling away and still not get it.
You can teach a Sunday School class and not have it.
You can post blogs and not arrive at it.

Nothing is born of God without travail, and this will take a lifetime. It will cost you inordinate amounts of time. It will require deep focus. It will require some early mornings and some late nights. It will require limiting social interaction and discipline of the tongue. Total forgiveness is a huge prerequisite and the foundation must be built with humility.

You will suffer misunderstanding and you will sometimes be considered aloof. It necessitates pursuit when you are Spiritually exhausted. It is tangible and yet ethereal. It will satisfy and yet produce desire for more. There will be times you will not be able or capable to effectively communicate your experiences with anyone. Some experiences won't translate into words and sometimes God won't let you share it. A personal desire for holiness will be part of the process. The search for truth is a door and inconvenience must be accepted and flexibility practiced. You must surrender any comparison to anyone else and you must reject legalism and performance. You will be required to capture and direct your mind through conscious and sometimes frustrating discipline.

...to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple...He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High...Seek the Lord...they that wait upon the Lord...that diligently seek Him...Looking unto Jesus...THAT I MAY KNOW HIM

To know Jesus, that is the disciple's journey. Not just defend Him against attacks and cults, but to know and embrace Him as your personal life. Not just know about Him but with an insatiable thirst pursue Him as if you will die if you don't go deeper and deeper in intimate fellowship with Him. As Lord and as Friend. As Master and as Helper. As fearful and as comforting. We will have to take quantum leaps in quantity and quality in our prayer lives. We will have to both devour the Word and chew it over and over, and we will have to be able to during those times not read it looking for truths to buttress any doctrinal argument but as our living Spiritual food.

Oh it will take more than the pro-life position. Much more than a ban on same sex marriage. Light years more than electing conservative politicians. It will take a slow and self-crucifying journey that will be accompanied by hills and valleys, victories and setbacks, and a frequent desire to feel content with where you are and stop pressing toward Him. Don't look for a group to go through it with you, real pursuers are rare, and comfortable nay sayers are legion. The devil will remind you that you will see Jesus when you get to heaven so why go through all this trouble now. Discouragement will sit on one shoulder and self righteousness on the other. The Deceiver will attempt to comfort you with the message that you are orthodox in your theology which is meant to keep you from pursuing.

So, as someone once said, count the cost. But if you agree to start a painful but unspeakably rewarding journey that seeks the heart and face of the Lord Jesus Himself, you will find Him. Not fully, for He is infinite, and not just as an efficacious object for salvation, no, you will find life. The abundant life cannot be found on this earth it is only found in Him, and the deeper you go the more abundant the life. You want contentment and peace? You want joy and satisfaction? You want patience and hope? You want faith and love? You want an array of Spiritual emotions that transcend earthly definition and bring your inner man into a depth in Him that cannot be plumbed? Seek Him with all your heart, mind, and soul.

But if you want material, fame, corporate advancement, treasures, and worldly position...you'll have to look elsewhere. But be encouraged, that road is glamorous and wide, and it is easily and well traveled even within the church.

But if you still desire Him...you're going to need a cross.