TODAY'S READING: Romans 12:1-2
You may have heard the story about the chicken and the pig. They were arguing one day about breakfast and the chicken was complaining about how much she had to give for breakfast because she had to lay an egg. She groaned about how much effort she had to use to continue to lay eggs. She felt overwhelmed by her involvement.
After listening to the chicken's complaints, the pig explained to the chicken that she may not like her level of involvement, but that when it came time for the bacon, the pig would be fully committed.
Many of us are "chicken" Christians. We lay our eggs for Jesus. Maybe it's giving 10%. It could be teaching a Bible class. Your eggs could include singing on praise team, serving communion, or helping with service projects.
But God is not looking for "chicken" Christians. Jesus is calling us to be "pig" Christians. He is seeking those of us who are willing to give all we have for Him. Instead of giving Him "eggs" from time to time, He wants the full blown commitment that the pig displayed.
The reality is that none of us have completely reached that level of sacrifice. We all hold back to some level. But as we strive to become transformed into the image of Jesus we must all move from involvement to commitment. While involvement is a part of commitment, we can be involved without commitment.
Commitment means that we stop doing church and we start becoming church. Our attitude will allow God to change us from someone who looks at church as a religious activity and begin looking at following Jesus as a lifestyle. Jesus demanded more than religious "egg laying." He challenged the Pharisees and religious leaders time and time again for "laying eggs" while never giving God the "bacon."
As followers of Jesus we need to move towards total commitment to the work of God in this world. We must no longer settle for sitting in a pew. Rather, we must leave the pew behind, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus into the sacrificial life that He modeled for us.
Whether it's 8:30am on a Sunday morning, 7:00pm on a Wednesday night, or 2:00pm on a Monday afternoon, our life should be God's. Christianity should not be something we do, it should be who we are. Following Jesus is not a social club or civic duty. It is a life wholly committed to the cause of Jesus.
It means we put others first, no matter what the cost.
It means we set aside our own agendas when they contradict God's.
It means we make Jesus our first priority.
It means we stand up for what we believe, regardless of the consequences.
Will we ever arrive? No. But if we are not on the transformational journey, we are off course. Let's set our compass in the direction of the cross and allow God to mold us as we seek to become more and more like Jesus.
shine!
Jason
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