Jesus ruined my life.
Listen, I know that is a harsh statement…but it is true. Because of Jesus, I chose a profession that will never make me a millionaire. Because of Jesus, I moved half-way across the country away from all my family and friends who unconditionally love me. When I finally got to know Jesus, my life was never the same. What I wanted for my life took a back seat to what God wanted for my life. I became second.
Too many times we try to compartmentalize our faith and Christianity into a neat little section of our life. We try to make it fit what we already do. We too often label those who give more than a few hours a week to God as radicals.
Too often the life of a non-Christian and the life of a follower of God looks very similar. Sure most Christians probably drink and swear less then average, but besides that, really aren’t very different from your typical unbeliever. We equate our partially sanitized lives with holiness, but we couldn’t be more wrong. That would be like working all day at a garbage dump, and when you get off your 8 hour shift, cleaning your hands with hand sanitizer and saying you are clean.
We have a tough time with surrendering all to God. We struggle to give up control of our lives. We want to have our lives (what we want, when we want it) and have Jesus on the side. However, we get this concept in other areas of life. Francis Chan tells this story in his book Crazy Love…
When I was in high school, I seriously considered joining the Marines; this was when they first came out with commercials for “the few, the proud, the Marines.” What turned me off was that in those advertisements, everyone was always running. Always. And I hate running.
But you know what? I didn’t bother to ask if they would modify the rules for me so I could run less, and maybe also do fewer push-ups. That would’ve been pointless and stupid, and I knew it. Everyone knows that if you sign up for the Marines, you have to do whatever they tell you. They own you.
Somehow this realization does not carry over to our thinking about the Christian life. Jesus didn’t say that if you wanted to follow Him you could do it in a lukewarm manner. He didn’t say that you could follow Him when it is convenient.
Jesus made it clear when he told us in Matthew 16:24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” He also said in Luke 14:33, “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.”
Pretty clear to me.
Like I said, Jesus ruined my life.
Thank God.
Your first line is so intriguing! I’ll admit that I started reading because I thought you were going to rant and rave. But, I love what you did with the post more.
And I agree that if we are to follow God, we must give up our own plans and do what God has for us. And we must rely on God for sustenance and support.
I don’t know where you are or what you do for a living, but I do know that the world is a better place because you are following where God has led you. Thank you.
Blessingcasters
http://www.blessingcasters.org
blessingcasters.wordpress.com
Amen to that Brother!! It’s so good to see Good hardcore Christians online. I’ll pray God continues to give you strength. So where are you then? on a mission?
Brian, Thank you for those words. I love reading your posts because of you passion and conviction for living in the footsteps of Jesus.
Oh, and because you constantly mention it here, I went an bought Crazy Love. I am about finished with John Eldredge’s Waking the Dead and will be starting Crazy Love soon. I am excited about it.
B, you don’t know how awesome that is to read today! Thank you!
From a “worldly” view…I can see why you say “ruined”.
But ‘life’ as we know and see things is usually not the Perspective God intended. I think “Saved” our lives is much more like it!
You just made my day with that. Its hard to remember that its not just about us. Thank You
Well done. Jesus said, “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but anyone who loses his life for me will find it.” Not many people willing to have Jesus “ruin” their lives. Not many willing to lose their lives. But Jesus doesn’t offer any other plan does he? Well said Brian. Jesus ruined my life too and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Hi Brian,
Thank you for your post. Intellectually understand that when He calls us to follow Him, He calls us to come and die.
I have been recently fighting with God . . . your post has been an encouragement.
- a brother in Asia.
some christians
ok i need to stop
some who claim they are christians
have ruined god for me or at least the concept of god
i feel that according to them
god has ruined my life
not sorry but i am not happy about
i feel left out in life
when no one else seems to
also personal convictions and beliefs NEED TO STAY THAT WAY!!!!
i have been confused big time
worry way too much
based on some persons understanding
the bible cleary states lean not onto your own understanding
what got me so confused
is that i leaned on someone elses understanding
it usually sounded erroneous
IT WAS!!!!!!!! AND STILL IS
the only one to speak for god is god
no matter how religious or creative it sounds
its wrong
bottom line
anyhow i gotta go
bye
[...] #1 JESUS RUINED MY LIFE – January 15, 2009 [...]
Interesting article. I feel that I should point something out. First off, you are right to say that you have to give up your worldly desires and the life styles God does not approve of for his children. It is a fact the becoming a Christian does not give you passage to a glorious life, filled with the best luck possible and nothing will ever go wrong. Accepting Christ puts a target on your back and satan will send all available weapons against us, with one goal in mind…..separate us from God by any means possible. He thinks in the term, ” give an inch, take a mile.” satan is a roaring lion, bent on our destruction as christians. Without question becoming a christian denies us the “luxuries” of some worldly desires, but our reward for standing strong in our relationship with God is more than than this world could ever offer. My final point is this. God does not have a set plan for our lives in that if we choose to live in LA or Atlanta, he approves of one over the other. He doesn’t care what house we live in or what car we drive as long as we can afford it in our personal budgets. He doesn’t have a set person for us to marry, he gives us the GUIDELINES and EXPECTATIONS we as followers should hold to when choosing a partner. The bottom line is God’s will for our life is to live a life that brings him glory, where people will see CHRIST living in us through our actions. That is God’s plan for our lives, for someone to claim that Jesus has ruined his life is anything but a representation of God’s glory.
Really encouraging this post. Be blessed and keep it this way… Jesus ruined my life also and I don’t think it could have been better!!!
Hi Brian,
Stumbled upon your post ‘Jesus Ruined My Life’ – brilliant! I’m the editor for my churches magazine and was hoping I could publish your post in our next issue – which is going to print on Monday! Let me know if it’s OK, if not, it’s not a problem. The last page is called The FINAL thought… and I just thought your blog was perfect, particularly with the connection to Easter and the suffering Jesus experienced for us. As you quoted ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’ God bless!
Richard
Very Well Written. I COULDN’T AGREE MORE! Talk about sacrifice. I wrote the book on the subject. HOW GOD RUINED MY LIFE by: Jay M Horne. Trust me, it could always be worse, you could be mE! Read it, maybe you’ll feel better. You can get it real cheap on amazon as a download if your as broke as i am:)
People send me hate mail all the time for it. Only because they know they can’t stand a light on the subject. Truth is though, taking the back seat to god for so long makes it harder to take the drivers seat. Why do people find it so hard to accept their own magnificence? Why must they put someone else in the spot light? My goal has never been small, and has only grown over all the years. Taking responsibility for my own life and afterlife was the hugest endeavor I ever set out on..
Never surrender to light, because the universe will always revert back to a state of darkness.