2/8/2010

The two primary motivations for nearly every human being are life and love.  From the first gasp of breath immediately after our birth, much of our behavior is driven by these two desires.  As infants we desperately cry out for others to help us survive. We demand that others meet the needs, that as infants, we cannot meet for ourselves.  As we grow and gain control of our faculties and the world around us we do all within our power to assure that we will live.  Even in our adulthood, we continue to labor for life.  We do not feel genuine peace until we have secured for ourselves the basics of shelter and food.  With these basics attained we do not stop laboring.  We continue to look for safer places to live, safer cars to drive, and healthier ways of living our life.  Millions are spent each year on medicine, medical care, weight loss products and exercise equipment to defy the aging process.  Even religion can be a symbol of our desire and will to live.  But merely being alive is clearly not enough.  No one wants to merely survive.  If we are honest with ourselves, and evaluate carefully, most of us will acknowledge that our desire to be loved, liked, and appreciated is the driving force behind most of our decisions and actions.  Again even from infancy we desired to be held, cuddled, and loved.  It is this love, in fact, that motivates the will to live.  In our youth this desire to be loved, or to be popular is the greatest temptation to give in to peer pressure.  As employees or employers our desire to be liked and accepted may cause us to make poor business choices or walk contrary to our values.  Politicians often find themselves compromising their core principles for the sake of being liked (and elected) by the majority.  Clearly these to forces, the will to live and the desire to be loved are an intricate part of our human nature.  It may strike us strange then, that the calling of Yeshua to be his disciples calls us to walk contrary to both of these strong forces within us.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. (Mark 8:35 KJV)

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (Matthew 10:22 KJV)

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. (John 15:18 KJV)

To be a disciple of Yeshua, we are called to lay down our lives.  We must overcome the fallen human nature that puts self-preservation over everything else.  The calling of Yeshua to live life not for the sake of self but for the sake of our Master, Yeshua and the completion of his word and ministry on behalf of the Father.  The calling of discipleship is to put aside our natural desire for self-security, pleasure, comfort, and preservation and to live for the life of the whole world.  Likewise, we are called not to live for the love and approval of our fellow human beings, but to give love to our fellow human beings.  To accomplish this ominous calling we must be willing to give our lives for our Master’s sake, and the sake of the Gospel. We must be willing to spend our energy being a light to the world.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4 KJV)

Then spake Yeshua again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12 KJV)

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5 KJV)

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16 KJV)

We must also realize however that not everyone loves the light.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. (John 3:19-20 KJV)

This is what makes fulfilling the calling so much of a challenge.  Being a disciple of Yeshua means that we must walk contrary to everything that would, otherwise, comes naturally to us, especially, self-preservation and self-love.  For this to happen, we must truly be crucified in Messiah and raised with him to a new life.  We must be raised with a new heart and a new mind.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. ² And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:1-2 KJV)

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Messiah Yeshua: ⁶ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: ⁷ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: ⁸ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ⁹ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (Philippians 2:5-9 KJV)

To have the mind of Messiah Yeshua is to take our carnal, natural, fallen mind to the cross and allow Messiah to live within us. 

I am crucified with Messiah: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Messiah liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20 KJV)