One of the biggest stumbling blocks to living a life wholly devoted to Jesus is when you get tired and begin asking, “What about me?” I’ve met many professing Christians who pledge their devotion to Jesus but never seemed to have let go of pursuing their own dreams and desires. After serving on a mission trip, they need to take a little time off “just for themselves”.
They’re okay to work really hard for Jesus during the day, but the nights are theirs to relax on the couch or out with friends. The problem of course is when you gave your life to Jesus, you surrendered everything to Him at that moment. There are no loopholes in the life of a disciple.
By simply asking the question, “What about me?”, you are proving we don’t understand what committing your life to Jesus really means. When you ask Jesus to be Lord of your life, it means you are willingly surrendering everything to Him. Your Hopes, dreams, and passions are no more. There is no more ‘me’, there is only Christ. When you ask, “What about me?”, you are taking back from God what you already pledged to Him.
This seems to be a point so few believers in our churches today seem to get. The mad rush at the close of the sermon is due to everyone having some personal – and arguably selfish – thing to do. They’ve given their time to God for the day, and now they are quickly transitioning back into the “real world” of their own lives. This is the world that is all about “me”. We surrender our self to Christ one hour and live for the very same self the next.
I’m not perfect. I certainly fail and have plenty of faults and areas of struggle. More and more though, I am convinced this is perhaps the most vital issue facing Christ-followers today. We are called to absolute surrender but it’s simply too much for us. Instead we choose to profess Jesus with our mouths but deny Him with our lives. Most do not do this intentionally. It’s a habit seemingly ingrained in us. Unless we actively and intentionally choose to destroy this tendency it will ruin both our effectiveness for Jesus and our lives. Unfortunately, many do not grasp the gravity of what they are doing and today’s typical church will not teach them any better.
The next time you are tempted to ask, “What about me?”, remember your commitment to Christ. He is now every desire of your heart. He is now the peace and achievement you seek. Best of all, He will never let you down. If you think you’re going to have to give up too much to gain Jesus, then you simply don’t know Him well enough. He will never disappoint you. He is worth far more than anything you could ever imagine. If you really want what’s best for your life, you will gladly surrender everything to Him. The minute you surrendered to Christ everything else died. The life you live is now all about Him. This is the mark of a disciple. You must decide if He is worth it to you.