# Could you really give up everything for him?



## satz (Jan 5, 2005)

How many of you genuinely believe you would be able to give up absolutely anything for the Lord? Obviously i am not referring to anything remotely sinful, but things which are legal, or even approved or recommended by God.

Friends, family, jobs, homes, hobbies...i really struggle a lot with all these things. While it is very easy to theologically say that we love God above everything else, how do we know what we will really do, especially if we are not called to give up these things now?

As an example take a man and his wife... it would be stupid (and blatantly sinful) for a christian man to arbitarily leave his wife just to prove that he loves God more, but how does he know where his heart stands? Its easy to say 'God is number one!' when circumstances allow us to also enjoy number 2, and 3, and 4... but how do we know if God ALONE is really our joy?

so...anybody else ever struggle with this?


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## ReformedWretch (Jan 5, 2005)

Well said Josh.


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## Preach (Jan 5, 2005)

Josh,
I appreciate your post. Let's approach it from a post normative (Biblical history) angle. In the early Church, there was the issue of the "lapsy". These were many professing believers that recanted their faith in Christ at the point of the Roman sword. But afterward, many of these same professing believers declared that they really were Christians but were afraid to die, and or afraid to die a violent death...

What should we say about these people. And for that matter, what of Peter, who denied his Lord thrice?

Just initial thoughts.
"In Christ',
Bobby


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## Larry Hughes (Jan 6, 2005)

Josh,

Well said. A Christian friend and I have much wrestled with that very issue. We mutually said, "I don't know looking forward that I could, yet I know one thing for certain; if I'm called to and I do it - it will have to be His strength that pushes/carries me under/through it. Because in and of myself I am just like Peter (bless Peter for our encouragement) and highly capable of tucking my tail and running. Thus the desire becomes, "Lord if you will please grant me what you will because I don't have it in myself."

Larry


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## turmeric (Jan 6, 2005)

Lord, increase our faith!


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## Canadian Baptist (Jan 7, 2005)

I think that we tend to look too inward with this issue. We need to carefully tip-toe through the meritorious tulips here. If we read this passage as Justified sinners and collapse under the load that Christ might not be "everything" to us, we err. We should abandon all things for His glory and fight feverishly against sin, but this unending mirror gazing to see what we are doing "for Him" can crush any one of us quickly. I guess I am thinking about it from how I used to take scriptures like this before I trusted in the Grace of Christ in salvation and not in my own works and performance. As for our enduring under persecution or something like that, don't worry "He giveth more Grace!"
Soli Deo Gloria
Darrin


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## Larry Hughes (Jan 8, 2005)

Darrin,

A hearty Amen! Inward gazing personalities, like myself, will tend to fixate one´s self to the point of despondence. Part of that, I think, is personality type, part a more forceful taste of the Law pressing upon the heart and part confusing preaching that tends to leave the gospel in purity out most every Sunday and not preaching it to believers! Though we are to be shaken by the Law this cannot be the end goal of preaching. Rather the end goal of preaching should be to engender faith not unbelief.

Another BIG issue is not recognizing just how poisonous Armenian/Pelagian teaching and all of its variant strains actually affect us. I.e., when we attribute from an Armenian view those things that are only found in a truly converted Christian (from a sovereign grace perspective), we poison the food for the flock. 

E.g. when an Armenian teaches certain truths that are only attributable to truly regenerate persons, like a desire for more grace and a greater heart for Christ, love of neighbor, etc"¦(as if the unregenerate can have these) in order to "œentice" the unregenerate to faith thus "œseeking salvation" - a true Christian might hear/read this and say, "œI pray for this too - I must not be a Christian". Only a regenerate person (from the Calvinistic side) can even have those true desires, the unregenerate do not care period.

It is just like Romans 7 which is the height of a Christians life and tremendous bread for building up our faith when we see our failings. It is the paradox of the peace that comes from recognizing the growth of grace in one´s life, yet the pain of seeing more of our filth IS that growth. If understood via sovereign grace this is a tremendous feast for the soul in times of starvation. Yet, non-sovereign grace teaches that this is Paul pre-conversion or some similar concept - this sprinkles poison on the children´s bread of life and when they come struggling it merely makes them more sick and desponding.

Non-sovereign grace teaching in all of its forms is much more deadly than we suppose today and it is no wonder the American church is struggling.

Blessings,

Larry


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