The Transformed Life

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:23-26 ESV).

We are continuing a series dealing with “Living the Risen Life.” The trend these days is to “repurpose” materials. Please don’t misunderstand. I do consider myself something of a craftsman when it comes to building various pieces of furniture. I’ve done a lot for family and some for others. I enjoy the projects and the extra cash certainly doesn’t hurt now that Mary and I are both retired. However, there are some projects that I see in various stores and outlets that simply amaze me. This is true both from the perspective of what it is and how much they are selling it for. Take for example the “rustic tables” for sale at Pottery Barn. Here’s the picture and formal description on their web site: “Our table adds rustic warmth and texture to a room. Made from naturally fallen cypresses, each handcrafted piece exhibits its unique character and is one of a kind. They’re available in two different heights, so you can group two or three for a staggered look, or simply place one next to a sofa or armchair. Handcrafted of reclaimed and sustainable solid cypress wood. Hand applied natural finish. Stump is hand sanded smooth. Price: $199.00.” Really? Do people really buy that? Is that really “transformed” or “repurposed”? I’m a country boy; and, if I’ve got two stumps like this, I’m taking my axe and maul and splitting it for firewood. However, that seems to be the trendy thing to do. I think a part of the popularity of such “projects” is found in the fact that we have come to a point where we have applied a basic human characteristic to an ever expanding circle of our lives. The truth is that we die hard. Jesus teaches in our reading today that, hard or not, before we can genuinely follow Him, we must die to our will, our desires, our lordship, our plans, our pride, our possessions, our control, and ourselves. Death comes before resurrection. So, think about the areas of your life that you struggle to let die; your desire to make plans of your own and see them through; your satisfaction at earning money and doing what you want with it; your need to have everything make sense before accepting it; or, your expectations about what happiness looks like. Jesus desires us to submit all these things to Him. Pick up that cross on which you put to death your desires of self-determination. Then, you will be free to follow Him in real transformation!