I've been thinking...

"But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" -Gal 6:14

What would it look like if I really did only boast in the cross?

But even though I know I should boast only in the cross, why is it that I don't?

What if I was stripped away of everything in life except Jesus?

I picture what it would be like if I was on the streets, no money, no family, no friends, no books, no activities, no popularity, (no computer! ;-D), nothing... except Jesus. I wish I could say otherwise, but truth is, I don't feel a lightning bolt shock me because I can't actually comprehend what my life would be like. It would just be so different.

But sometimes I want my life, especially my spiritual life, to be so different. Would this kind of change actually be a radical awakening to spiritual heights I never dreamed of?

Recently I was listening to K. P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel For Asia, give a report of the work Christ is doing in Asia. What I imagined about myself two paragraphs above doesn't even begin to touch on the conditions Christians live in over there. And on top of the dire physical straits, add intense persecution.

Yet, as Yohanann claims, these Christians are filled with deep joy. That's what I've been thinking about. Is there something about having fewer material possessions and conveniences that bolsters them to a stronger relationship with Jesus?

This is Part 1. In Part 2, I'll answer my last question...



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Photo credit: Wonderlane and pedrosimoes7