There is this pseudo belief that if I work hard, acknowledge God, or a god, love my family, and enjoy life, I'll see God in the end. And we believe this, in our hearts.
But, Jeremiah tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things; who can understand it.
So what do we do with this? These are very stark words. There is not much twisting or manipulating we can do to rearrange these words to our liking. The heart is deceitful. Above all things, our hearts are deceitful. My heart is deceitful.
Even Gandolf's heart was deceitful. Think about when he told Frodo that he would not accept the ring of power from Frodo. He told Frodo that he couldn't take the ring. He just couldn't. That even if he wanted to do good with this ring, it was so wicked, that he would inevitably yield bad from it.
That's our heart! It's very core is wicked. And we didn't become wicked. Nothing we did, or can do will ever make us "more wicked". Sure, we can fuel the wicked with lust, deceit, lies, anger, self, and.....well....more self.
But we didn't choose this wickedness. We were born this way. Separated from God; born into death.
The reality of this truth is so bleak.
So what do we do?? How do we reverse the irreversible? How do we undo our fate?
We don't do anything. We can't do anything. We are helpless.
How does a drowning person save himself? How does a drowning person overcome by the water rise above the occasion. Peril is absolute. Death is certain.
Someone, a savior, must step in. Someone must come to the rescue.
A savior of a drowning person doesn't stand and the shore and coax the drowning person to safety. A savior jumps into the water, into the thick of it all, and puts their life on the line, for the sake of another.
Think of a fireman. Some of the bravest servants around us are firemen.
How many times have you passed a burning building and seen the firemen holding megaphones and coaching the people to safety?
Does a fireman yell to a person in distress and say, "if you do this better, and do that better, then you find your way out?"
No!! Of course not. A fireman put his life on the line for another. He bravely goes into certain death to retrieve a life from certain death.
Sound familiar??
Just as Jesus Christ found us in certain death, he himself walked into certain death to save the life of another. There is no bettering of one self. There is no pursuit of a happier life.
Christ said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, but through me."
How do we go through Christ then? Just believe in him? Doesn't Satan and the demons believe in him? And more so, haven't they even seen him, and know the truth.
So how do we go to the Father, "through him"?
We must follow him.
Christ had one stipulation.
In Luke 9:23 Jesus said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me."
That single emoji describes my entire existence in response to the words of Christ in Luke 9:23.
My selfish ways? What are my selfish ways?
While I would like to now create a list, it is just easier to sum up Selfish Ways in one word...everything.
Everything.
If my fate is death and the desire of my heart is deceit, then all of my ways are selfish. My family, my house, my job, my life, my friends, my circle, my feelings, my....
The common denominator is "my".
And so give it all to him. Don't take give it just to take it back. Give it to him. The fun, the hate, the life, the lies, the loyalty, the lust, the giving, the self. Give it all to him. Turn from it all. Repent of it. Turn around, and walk away. Follow him, and take up your cross on which you will certainly die daily.
This is the meaning of "through him". This is how we go to God 'through' Christ Jesus.
Only when we go through Christ Jesus, are we no longer ourselves, but we are Christ through us. It is no longer us, but him in us.
The old self must die.
Put to death all that you are. Turn from it and follow him. It's that easy and it's so hard. It's hard to believe in a life beyond myself. But it does exists. He promises it does. We only must give up and follow.
Paul nails it when he says...
"Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved! For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:1-10
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