Saturday, August 07, 2010

Best of the week entry 4

Dave Black posted a brief essay, Turning A Deaf Ear To The "American Way" , before a trip to the Middle East. In between his mission work in Ethiopia and this trip to the middle east, Dr. Black is thinking about the comfort and the siren call of the "American dream" and there is perhaps no greater hindrance to a life of discipleship than the seductive ease and comfort of America.

The fact is, I care deeply about my own comfort. Jesus shocks me. He was an upside-down Messiah. We tried to imitate Him in the 1960s, but the Jesus Movement was often a sad parody. I want to do better today. Jesus is inviting us to join the movement. The Scriptures are clear. We're asked to sell and give all, to serve, to go; to endure suffering without complaint or bitterness; to demonstrate that the towel is greater than the sword.

I was especially struck by that last sentence. The towel is greater than the sword. A brief and yet deeply profound statement, one that all followers of Christ should understand.

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