The Ramblings of a Wimpy Christian
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23 NLT
In Jesus’ time and place, when people picked up their cross, it was to die, just like Jesus picked up His cross to die. Jesus said this must be done every day. (Luke 9:23) Years later He told the Church of Smyrna
But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life. Revelation 2:10 NLT
I have to wonder if people fully grasp what Jesus meant by, “take up your cross daily” and “remain faithful even when facing death.” I fear I live in an age with a very shallow concept of faithfulness. Athletes change teams as easily as changing underwear. People promise at the altar to love until death, but disappear when the next flirt comes along. Today’s employers don’t even want faithful long-term employees, because they don’t want to pay anyone enough to be faithful to their company.
I fear we live in an age where everything is supposed to be convenient. Suffering long simply means waiting a couple seconds for a webpage to download. When was the last time you heard baptismal vows read before a baptism? How many know what baptismal vows are? It’s easy to be faithful when there is no standard to be faithful to. God said, “Let us create man in our own image,” but for the last six thousand years, we have been saying, “No! Let’s create God in our own image.” It’s easier to be faithful when we are the ones who make the rules.
Recently, while reading The Great Controversy, I understood the importance of everyone worshiping according to their own convictions. But how many times do we call it conviction when it is actually personal taste? There is a difference between following your personal convictions, and just following your personal desires.
Occasionally, I get a call from someone telling me they were sorry they missed church, but they had a really hard week. What I don’t tell them is that millions who also had a really hard week attended church that weekend.
Families will tell me it’s hard to get out to midweek service, with school and homework and all. Really? Did school and homework just begin around 2014? Millions of folks have been attending midweek services for ages now, and I am quite sure they had kids in school too. Homework is nothing new.
Yet in an age of shallow faithfulness and outright selfishness, John sees that God has produced a special people like no other people before.
They have kept themselves as pure as virgins, following the Lamb wherever he goes. Revelation 14:4 NLT
The Lamb went to the cross and gave up His life. Am I right in assuming this is included in “Following the Lamb wherever He goes?”
Now, while I’m whining about people not understanding what it means to be faithful, there are people dying for their faith around the world in the face of terrorism. While I look around and question if others are living up to their conscience and convictions, God is tapping my shoulder and telling me, “Why are you so worried about everyone else? William, you are not exactly the best Christian I have on earth right now. Not even close. I have seven thousand who have never bowed the knee to Baal, and to be honest, William, you are not one of them! Why don’t you pray for yourself while praying for everyone else?”
There are people in every church from Adventist to Catholic, and every church in between who know what it means to take up their cross and be faithful, even in the face of death. And here I am sitting in my cozy house on my nice comfy chair with my laptop just typing about it. What a wimp I am! And to think I’m the one wondering if everyone else knows what it means to be faithful! I think I still have a few things to learn about sacrifice and faithfulness. How about you?

I have a lot to learn also ..... Ooh so much more to learn....
I think we all wonder how we will stand or fold when it comes to a case of life and death. I do recall somewhere that we all believe that for the big things, we consider ourselves capable of standing like Daniel. But unless we have done so in the little things, we will not be able to.
Somebody once said to never underestimate the inevitability of the gradual. I think that is very true.
In your post though, I am happy to say that at our last baptism, I had the honour of reading out the baptismal vows, all of them, to our candidate in front of the church. So know that at least in Hemel Hempstead we read the vows
Kind regards,
Ian.
Standing with God on the little things.... Maybe that's what God was reminding Jeremiah in Jer.12:5 “If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out,
Then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace,
How will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?" Since reading that, I'm better able to check my whining, seeing that what God has asked of me isn't anything close to what Jeremiah went through. And "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6 God help me to stand.
Taking up a personal cross, can mean many things. For those that know the Sabbath as a delight, it can be strange to think of IT as a "cross". But of course for people that have fellowshipped on Sunday for many years, and have used Sabbath as a "common" day, Sabbath-keeping involves radical changes.
The new-comer does well to sit down and count the cost, because it will cost them something. Dietary changes also involves a cross; dress reform involves a cross; denying ourselves the indulgence of pride involves a cross. But as we become accustomed to the new life, these things become delights.
"Those who lift the CROSS OF THE SABBATH have a tremendous battle to fight with self and with selfish interests which would interpose between their souls and God. Then when they have taken this great step and their feet have been planted upon the platform of eternal truth, they must have time to become accustomed to their new position..." (Evangelism p.373)
I think many of us have a lot to learn in parts of the world where we don't have to face the threat of death (yet) to serve God. May the Lord help us to develop some backbone in time.
By the way, at every baptism in Trinidad to this day, the baptismal vows are still read out beforehand. At least, as far as I know.
I would say that our self examination based on what we consider the important doctrines and behavioral patterns of our faith, may be somewhat different than those found in the Bible. I would suggest reading 2Tim 3:1-5 an see if there are any similarities to our society today. If we understand the period of time correctly, it is difficult to ignore the pertinence of these verses. It would seem that we are looking for specks sometimes and missing the beams. Joel 2:28-32 are words of encouragement for us today. Especially verse 32.
Self-examination is sometimes useful but it is important to put that in the perspective of looking away from ourselves to Christ. Big picture Christianity is always about sharing our experience in Christ with others. Sitting on the veranda in our easy-chairs discussing the issues of life is all very well, but sooner, rather than later, we have to pat the veranda posts good bye and get out into the cut and thrust of the real world and put our theory into practice. Christianity was never meant for monasticism!
Revival and Reformation starts by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
That stung a bit.
But then, it is what I needed to hear.
I fear I find it far too easy to make excuses, the major one is 'I'm disabled and it's hard for me to get around'
Me too. I just heard the lord say to me the exact same words and I couldn't even make it though the next day. I know he is working in my life for each day I tell myself I must die daily. Help me to see you dear Jesus