You Lack One Thing/Absolute Surrender: Chapter 3

"Tension is a better word than balance."

I was talking to a friend the other day and we agreed that the word balance is often used by American Christians to justify comfort. The better word is tension. Following Jesus requires an absolute surrender of everything. Stearns writes:

Consistent with His encounter with the rich young ruler, Jesus was requiring an absolute surrender. To be a disciple means forsaking everything to follow Jesus, unconditionally, putting our lives completely in His hands. When we say we want to be His disciple, yet attach a list of conditions, Jesus refuses to accept our terms. His terms involve unconditional surrender. (p. 39)

It is important to say here that when we first come to Jesus, we have not surrendered everything. When I became a Christian, I continued to hold onto many idols. However, following Jesus involves a lifetime of rejecting these idols. Jesus does not back down from this stance in our lives.

There are two kingdoms; the kingdom of this world and Jesus' kingdom. In Jesus kingdom, "things" are used as tools to bless others. In the kingdom of this world, "things" are used to oppress others (directly or indirectly).

Jesus does not want us to "balance" how we use the tools of this world (sometimes for ourselves and sometimes for others). We are always to put others first (Phil. 2:3-7).

Part of the tension in putting others first is that we will sometimes use tools for ourselves so that we may put others first. For example, part of the purpose of resting and relaxing is so that we can serve others well. Jesus goes to the mountainside to pray on many occasions so that he can serve others better (Mt. 8:1; 14:23; 15:29; 17:1--note that often the crowds follow him to the mountain!). I think that Paul used the travel time between cities (not short airplane flights but longer walking and boat journeys) to be refreshed and to spend time with his team (Timothy, Barnabas and others). In resting, there is a repentance of "I can do it all." In resting, we say "I am weak and in need of God's grace."

When we struggle with issues of how to use our resources (time, money, gifts), we should have a healthy tension that is suspended in an absolute surrender to Jesus (this is another way of saying we believe and follow Jesus).

Unhealthy tension is suspended in a belief that "I" can produce God's favor (I do therefore I am loved). "How much do I need to give until you will get off my back?" "I will give more money to cover for what I did wrong last week." "I will do my devotions so that I have a good day today."

Where do you feel tension in your life? Where do you see healthy tension in your life? Where do you have unhealthy tension? If you don't feel tension in your life, that should be a warning:

Jesus says: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. and anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27)

All this talk of tension might seem oppressive and anxiety building. My experience is that tension produces strength and endurance just like the tension that is sustained in physical exercise (Paul uses the same analogy in I Cor. 9:27; 2 Tim. 4:7-8). Tension also highlights what is most important and shows the weakness in what is unimportant (just as "fire tests the quality of each man's work" I Cor. 3:13). Therefore, healthy tension in our life focuses our being on who is most important: Jesus.