Conviction: What would you die for?
This guy is good. I like his line, “We’re the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since, you know, a long time ago.”
I often ask people, “What would you die for?” Most people are unable to answer with conviction. And that’s a shame.
It’s particularly a shame …
By Seth Barnes
This guy is good. I like his line, “We’re the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since, you know, a long time ago.”
I often ask people, “What would you die for?” Most people are unable to answer with conviction. And that’s a shame.
It’s particularly a shame for those of us who say we’re Jesus followers, but who fill our lives with a ceaseless quest to fulfill our own small needs. Such a pursuit is not enough to build a life around. And, as Taylor Mali points out, our narcissism and ambivalence is reflected in our speech.
How about you, what would you die for? Is it reflected in the way you speak?
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I liked this version: http://vimeo.com/3829682
Great word for those of us called to proclaim the truth.
I would die for:
1. My children.
2. Orphans.
3. My family of origin.
4. People with Huntington’s Disease.
5. A group of friends I call a “tribe in the making”.
6. Jesus.
By the way…not in that order.
Wow! This is a good reminder for the church in the west.
I am reminded the first time heard verbiage like this was from a missionary from New Zealand Lesley-Anne Leighton.
I learned a lot from her. She has lived her life as a missionary to the nations. A life of faith. Poured out as an offering unto the Lord.
We ARE called to lay down our lives for another. Our lives HAVE been bought with a price, our lives are NOT our own. Because of love, we lay down our lives daily.
Today I am reminded to ask myself, would I die for another. Would I be willing to sell myself into slavery like the Moravian movement?? Would I be willing to die in prison for my faith like Watchman Nee?? Am I really willing to give my everything to Jesus, time, treasure and talents, no matter the cost? Am I willing to love like Jesus is really living in me??
Yes Lord.
Thanks for the reminder.
Really Melinda, she is a friend of mine too!
I love her , she has changed my life. I have been to her mission school, and my kids went to the mission school in Pemba. Small world huh??
Blessings!
Like, really excellent! Be. And do.
I was alone with the Lord one day and told Him how honored I would be to die for Him after all He did for me…..but looking at it, even my death, so full of sin stained blood is nothing compared to what my Lord has done for me. Its mindblowing to know that I could never love Him back the way He loves me but yet….. He still loves me.What an amazing God.
Amen and totally love this Seth!!!!
It is a wonderful reminder to embrace the truth, no matter what the cost. To love truthfully, no matter what the cost.
Always stunned by people who do die for their faith. I follow the work of Open Doors and the stories they come across in the persecuted church blow your mind so often.
I think the ability to die for someone, for anything, for God – that comes at the time you need it. Like Peter in the Upper Room, I could make bold statements that would be completely undone within hours.
Death is fine – that’s to be with the Lord. Dying? The process of it? Not so keen on that one if I am honest! Would I die for another? I imagine if it came my way God would give me what I needed at the time. Right now, I simply couldn’t say.
Would I die for my brothers and sisters at church who I often have ought with? Would I die for family members who seem to love to berate me? Would I risk death for the one who died for me by following him wherever he leads? Then again what is death!!? Would I give up my most prized posession for someone who has need?Could I give up my military pension for my country,who now has some38% of its population dependant upon the government for some form of sustenance? How about dieing to pride and saying Im sorry more often when Im wrong.Or praying more instead of watching the 2010 NCAA mens hoops champs MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS and the greatest mascott on earth SPARTY!!!(Im speaking this into existence) sorry Im not always superspiritual. What about more time in the living word instead of all the other things I do that arent of him. would I die for the people I really dont deem as worthy by reaching out when the LORD prompts me and I dont.If Im honest I am surrounded by them.Do my thoughts sound as bad as they seem?I really do want to grow in CHRIST sometimes. sometimes
love it.
This reminded me of when I first moved to New Zealand. Things have changed some now- so I’m not saying it is still true there- but many of them told me they had a hard time listening to American speakers because they acted like they knew for sure what they were talking about. In their culture, you ‘presented’ an idea to others and let them decide- they felt like Americans speakers had made the decision for them- and that felt like arrogance.
What is also interesting is that New Zealand is one of those countries whose speech has that inflection at the end- because yes indeed, you don’t want to come off too aggressive, so you stick that question mark at the end.
Again, there are exceptions to this way of thinking there- that is for sure- and as I said, it was way more evident to me when I first moved there almost 15 years ago.
Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but listen to this and feel like I was back in New Zealand.
And as to what I would die for- I’ve been willing to die for a Muslim woman in an unreached tribe in Indonesia who was serving me food she prepared in dirty water with a rusty knife. I was the first outsider allowed in that village and God was clearly drawing her in- and as I ate that food, I remember thinking, I’m totally willing to die here if this woman comes to know Jesus because of my visit. I also remember thinking that was crazy- but I knew it was the crazy love of God.
Before I left for Haiti, Holy Spirit asked me if I was willing to die by going there. And then I had dreams and ‘words’ that led me to believe that this might not just be a theoretical question. I even told friends, that if I didn’t come back alive, that they were to make sure people knew I went there knowing that was a possibility- so they were to make sure people didn’t use it as an excuse to avoid Haiti, but instead, to use it as inspiration to go- because what God wants to work out there is worthy of our lives.
I think you can sum it up for me in 2 Timothy 2:11
“I am comforted by this truth, that when we suffer and die for Christ it only means that we will begin living with Him in heaven.”
Lesley is a very good friend of mine so that makes me smile. (We went to Bible College together in NZ and ministered in Mozambique.) She’s the real deal.