By Josh Weidmann on Thursday, December 13, 2007 10:48 AM

Being worthy of Christ does not seem like an achievable goal to me. How can I “earn the right” to “be entitled” to something as high and lofty as Christ Himself?

I was struck with a passage today that spoke of being ‘worthy of Christ,’ or really, it explained what makes us unworthy of Him.

Matthew chapter 10 verse 37 – 39 talks about the importance of loving Christ above all. It plain out says, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” And not only does Christ mention parents, but children as well. The people I love the most are my family members. Without a doubt, these people in my life are God’s greatest gift to me next to salvation. But Christ is saying, even if you love these great things I have given to you more than you love me, then you are not worthy of me.

How drastic! He gives us things to love that frankly are easier to love then Him because they are right here before us in the flesh - yet he wants us to love Him more!?  This demand of Christ is superior even over the many other fantastic things God gives us in this life – not even wrong or sinful things – but yet He wants us to love Him above them all, and if we don’t, we are not “worthy.” This means anything or anyone I love more than Christ is an idol in the way of my life-worship for Christ.

What idols are in my life right now? What do I cling to tighter than Christ this holiday season? What or who is more exciting to me than Christ himself? Do I love Him above all things and people.

Christ finished his thought by saying, “Whoever doe not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Taking up my cross and following Him seems impossible at times. But He not only promised His “burden would be light” but that I would gain my life if I simply dared to loose it. No one and nothing else can make me that promise, so what else is there to strive to be worthy of besides Christ?

If I have a right view of Christ, then being “worthy” of Him by loving Him above all things should come with minimal effort.

By Josh Weidmann on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 11:57 AM

Honesty is intertwined with holiness.

If you want to be an honest person – an authentic Christian – then you are going to have to face God’s holiness head on. An encounter with God deals with who you really are. When God reveals His holiness, this reveals our sinfulness.

Think of the encounters that Moses, Isaiah and John had with God and all of his holiness. Upon facing God in the burning bush, Moses fell to the ground covering his face and was filled with fear (Exodus 3:6). When Isaiah saw the Lord, he was not only astonished, but filled with fear. I can only imagine what it would be like to see God’s holiness in the way that Isaiah did and have the spine-chilling experience of realizing your own inadequacies. And when John saw the revelation of Christ he “fell at His feet as though dead (Revelation 1:9).”

When we me meet with God, we are exposed to true holiness. This kind of encounter demands our honesty; not for the sake so shame, but for the sake of worship and true transformation.

By Josh Weidmann on Wednesday, December 05, 2007 2:20 PM

Why do I get more excited about Christmas carols and lights because of the festive holiday fun rather than the true meaning of Christmas? I understand that Christ is the reason for the season, but that doesn’t move me. My hands are not the only thing cold in this winter season, my heart has slipped into a lackadaisical state of no emotion or care when it comes to contemplating the “Christ” in Christmas.

I want to be moved by the fact that God sent His Son to earth. I want the kind of joy that makes me sing along - at the top of my lungs - every time I hear, “Joy to the world!” By why am I not there? What stunted my spiritual growth when it came to really reveling in the fact that Christ was sent to earth? Was it too many egg nog lattes? Too many ads? Too many holiday parties to attend? Too many gifts to buy? Maybe just the fact that everywhere I look, the culture is screaming consumerism when I should be shouting with selfless praise to God.

I just want to be moved by Christ.

I want my life to be changed by this holiday season. I don’t want to accept a fuzzy feeling on Christmas that is thrown out as quickly as the crumpled wrapping paper. I want to be so impassioned by the recounting of Christ’s coming that I can’t help but well up with tears and deeply desire to discipline my self to know Him more.

What will it take to get to this point?

A greater view of Christ.

A greater view of Christmas.  

 

A more biblical view of Christ.

A more biblical view of Christmas.

 

An eternal perspective of Christ.

An eternal perspective of Christmas.