No one could ever accuse Jesus of being a great public-relations guy. Who else but Jesus would make it His practice to disperse crowds with difficult and controversial teachings when it would have been so easy to rally an army? Who else but Jesus would choose to continually insult the power structure of His time rather than try to make influential friends in high places? Who else but Jesus would align Himself with the lowest and the least of His society, those with no political clout or social standing?

But that’s what Jesus did. That’s what He’s still doing. Perhaps with all of our educational advancements, the multiplicity of Bible studies and books available to us, and the abundance of churches in many parts of the world, we’ve forgotten that following Jesus isn’t like choosing which flavor of syrup you want in your coffee. The call to follow Jesus is a call to forsake everyone and everything other than Him. It’s a call to a radical abandonment.

When Jesus called His first disciples to leave their boats, He was calling them to abandon their careers. When He called them to leave their nets, He was calling them to abandon their possessions. When He called them to leave their father in the boat by himself, He was calling them to abandon their family and friends. Ultimately, Jesus was calling them to abandon themselves.

The men were leaving certainty for uncertainty, safety for danger, and self-preservation for self-denunciation. What if you were the one stepping out of the boat? What if you were the potential disciple being told to drop your nets? What if it were your father asking where you were going?

This is where we need to pause to consider whether we’re starting to redefine Christianity. We have to give up everything we have to follow Jesus. But slowly, subtly, we have reduced following Jesus to the idea of following Jesus.

We do this in all sorts of ways. We rationalize Jesus’ demanding teachings: “Of course, Jesus wasn’t actually telling you to abandon your family. And of course, He wasn’t really saying to leave everything behind to follow Him.”

While it’s true that Jesus didn’t-and doesn’t-require everyone to leave their father and their occupation to follow Him, He does require absolute obedience and commitment. Rather than joyfully embracing His call, we have the self-serving tendency to water it down to be theoretical sacrifice and hypothetical abandonment. We want to follow a Jesus that doesn’t require anything of us.

In essence, we’ve redefined Christianity. We’ve given in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into a version of Jesus we’re more comfortable with. It’s a Jesus who’s OK with our materialism, fine with nominal devotion that doesn’t require any sacrifice, and pleased with a brand of faith that requires attendance on Sunday but no real commitment in day-to-day life.

But I wonder if I could help you push through the haze of self-justification and ask a simple question: What if He was actually serious? (DAVID PLATT)

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us… (Ephesians 3:16-20)

We live in a world of crazy deadlines, commitments, and opinions. Sometimes, it feels like we’re barely keeping our heads above water.

Pause, take a breath, and soak in Ephesians 3:16-20. Paul’s prayer for the church of Ephesus is a reminder of how much more God wants for our lives than our short-sighted vision shows us.

The only way to experience the fullness of Jesus’ love is to let Him fully into our lives. God works through us not by pushing us around, but through His Holy Spirit’s guidance. The business of life can drown out the whispers of the Holy Spirit showing us how loved and cherished we are by our Creator. Paul prays we’re strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and we’re given the power to realize just how deep and wide God’s love is for us (Ephesians 3:16-18).

God’s love surpasses our knowledge and our circumstances (Ephesians 3:19). Our lens is infinitely smaller than God’s picture and His plans for our lives. God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). The best-case scenarios in our heads are nothing compared to what God promises to do.

We can pray the same prayer today — that every day we would invite Jesus further into our lives. When we do, we’ll start to see God do more than we ever could dream possible. Let’s not let the pace of our lives cause us to miss out on “immeasurably more.”

Reflect:
• Is the pace of your life allowing you to reflect on the truths Paul highlights in this prayer? Why or why not? Does something need to change?

• How does knowing the depth of God’s love give context to your challenges?

• What’s the best-case scenario in your current situation? Reflect on the truth that God wants infinitely more for you than even this. (NEWSPRING
CHURCH)