What is does it mean to give your life to God? What does it mean to live for God? I have been challenged a lot with these questions. A few years ago there was a shooting here at the Arvada YWAM base, and two people died. Tiffany and Phil. Before the shooting happened the base gathered for a regular worship meeting and they Phil and Tiffany along with other young YWAMers that they would step out and give their lives to the Lord... I don't think that any of them knew what was going to happen a week later, but I think they all know what they were giving God permission to do. They were ready to give it all. I feel like this phrase is thrown around a lot in Christian circles without people even knowing what it means. To give your life for the sake of the gospel…to become a martyr. I remember when I was little hearing about the shooting at columbine high school and how Cassie Burnell stood up and was killed for saying she believed in Jesus. Even at a young age I was inspired and terrified all at the same time. It was amazing to me that someone could believe in and love something so much they were willing to die for it. Then the shootings happened here at YWAM Denver in Arvada and the shooter continued to new life church where Rachel and her sister were killed in the parking lot simply because they were there. There is a very powerful web-a-sode about the shooting in Denver if you go to www.jesusfreaksmovie.com if you want to check it out. I think about these people and I can’t help but ask myself would I do the same thing, am I willing to truly give my life for the gospel? What would I do if I was put in either of these positions?
John Murphy went to a conference in LA last weekend where prayer warriors from IHOP and the young disciples from YWAM came together and decided to teach each other. Lauren Cunningham and many other amazing men of the faith were there telling stories about people who have given their all and gone out, knowing they will die, to show people Jesus, to give people hope and a future.
There was a group of twelve Korean’s who went to Pakistan to tell people about Jesus. They were captured and immediately one of them was shot and killed. The men who killed them told them that the next day they would be back and they were going to kill another and then let them go. That night the surviving eleven people argued, but not what we would initially think about. They were arguing about which one of them would get to die for his Jesus. They finally agreed to let this young guy do it. The next day he stood up and was shot six times and killed. What would make a person willing to lay down his life like that?!? Another story was about a group of young missionaries who literally packed their stuff in wooden coffins before they left because they knew that they were going to die…but they went anyways. Two young guys who literally sold themselves into slavery to reach out to slaves trapped in bondage. People who run into cholera and TB quarantined cities to help the sick, people who move into war zones hearing bombes go off every day, a woman who runs an orphanage in Sudan who literally gets raped by the soldiers every week, but refuses to leave because of the children. People who risk their lives traveling underground to distribute bibles they translated to the Taliban and into North Korea. There are so many stories of radical people doing radical things, truly giving their LIVES, their safety, there comfort, getting tortured and murdered to tell people about the Jesus they have met. I don’t know about you but this challenges me to the max. In my heart I crave adventure, for purpose, to be a part of something bigger then myself, to make an impact in this world in my generation, but how far am I willing to go with that? How much am I willing to sacrifice for the Jesus who gave his life for me, and restored my joy? In no way is this meant to be condemning. I firmly believe that God’s love for us never changes, no matter what we do or do not do. This is not a question of earning God’s love or feeling guilty, it is a question of love on our part. How much do we love him back, how far are we willing to go for him, for others? With this we also have to ask ourselves would I live for Jesus. Would I give my life in the sense of where I live, where I work, who I marry. I think that is a huge part of it to. What if God didn’t ask me to give my physical life for him, what if he calls me to a place that I’m scared of? To initiate a friendship that would be so difficult? To work in a place that seems hopeless, and lifeless. What if he calls me to move back to Gunnison and work in McDonalds for the rest of my life, would I go? There is nothing wrong with McDonalds or Gunnison, but it would be a sacrifice for me to live that life. Am I willing? Just a thought...
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