Last night Jim and I watched a TV program about Adolf Hitler and the devilish power he gained over a nation of people, causing them to attempt to destroy the Jews, the sick, the lame, the mentally unstable -- and anyone else who wouldn't fall in line with his plan for the world. People followed Hitler out of selfish desires, devotion to a cause, fear, coercion, etc. I went to bed shaking my head at the weakness of the human condition. Instead of thinking," Those stupid people," I thought, "People are so stupid."
When Jesus came to minister on Earth, he spoke to people just like you and me. Some of them were looking for a rescue from their "humanness" and its disastrous results. Others were happily living their selfish lives with selfish motives. Some had tried righteousness and sacrifice; some had practiced following teachers, but all were subject to the same human condition of selfishness. They were all Unredeemed Selfish Brats.
Jesus' conversation with people of his day went like this, 'None of this stuff you are trying will work. The only thing that will work is what I am about to do for you. I am about to give my body, my blood -- my life so that you can be reunited with my Father. And unless you receive me and the truth of my death and promised (and fulfilled) resurrection, you will be subject to the rules of the World, now and forever. Period!' (I am obviously using my words, here.)
Whether you believe it or not, Jesus' life, death and resurrection are documented, historical facts. Just like Hitler's speeches, his reign over Germany and his ultimate demise are historical facts. But look at the difference! One man was a selfish, megalomaniac imposing his ideas and ideals on people; while the other gave up his right to rule over us and instead paid with his life for every selfish act that anyone who ever lived has done or will do. Did you know
that is where the phrase 'once and for all' came from?
One man exacted a price and destroyed anything blocking his path; the other paid a price and saved anyone who would follow his way. 'Take up my cross and follow me.'
I realize this is offensive -- even ridiculous -- to people like you and like me. It is offensive to realize that we are selfish, rude beings and that we can't fix ourselves. But it is true and you and I know it. And the only difference between a redeemed selfish brat (RSB) and an un-redeemed one (USB) -- is death.
Yes, death. The redeemed selfish brat is dead, yet living free; the unredeemed selfish brat is living, but in a deadly prison.
Oh, you are still reading?
When Christ opened my heart to his redeeming love, I, that is my "self," died. Now, I have the option of climbing back into my selfishness, or LIVING a new life, following the example of LOVE that my redeemer set for me. Unlike the Un-redeemed Selfish Brat, USB, I have been forgiven all my errors (made and yet unmade) and I've been given new tools to work in the new soil to produce a crop worthy of Jesus' example of sacrifice. But, like all RSB's (Redeemed Selfish Brats) I fail constantly. That's why it is so hard to tell the two apart. (Just in case you've been wondering.)
When Adolf Hitler came to rule in Germany, he was speaking to people just like you and me. Some of them were looking for a rescue from their "humanness" and its disastrous results. Others were happily living their selfish lives with selfish motives. Some had tried righteousness and sacrifice; some had practiced following teachers, but all were subject to the same human condition of selfishness. Does that sound familiar? It should.
My point is that people are people. In our natural state, we will follow whatever feeds our USBness. God leaves the choice to us, sort of. He does not coerce, plead, bribe or bully people into being RSBs. This is how he does it, he uses people like me, people who know they are only RSB's, to tell others about his plan and his solution to their problems. This is the plan: admit that you are a selfish brat, stuck in a world with others just like you, Understand that God offered you a way out at his own expense. At this point you die,you are released, then you live again to tell about it. It is really that simple...not easy...simple.
Hitler is dead. Jesus lives. Rebecca Neville is dead, Becky lives to tell about it -- in Jesus. Done.
If you are a USB, and you know who you are, you have an invitation to accept your "release papers." I received my papers about 30 years ago. You might be interested to know that I never met the person who told me how to become a RSB. Her name was Corrie Ten Boom. She was the only one from her Dutch Christian family to survive Hitler's reign. Corrie went to prison for hiding Jews in a secret room of her home, a Hiding Place.
After much suffering, and more than a few answers to prayer, she was given a "Certificate of Discharge," to get out of Ravensbruck, one of Hitler's death camps. It was the only way to get out of there alive. And God arranged it because he knew Corrie would spend the rest of her life, another thirty years, telling others about the Hiding Place that people have in Jesus and how to get out of the death camp they are in.
The kind of certificate that gets us out of here is the one that Jesus offers; it is the one that is stamped upon my heart -- RELEASED. Some day I will tell Corrie how much I appreciated her book. Whether you are a USB or a RSB, I encourage you to read it:
The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.
What does a "real" follower of Christ look like? "Entlassen," -- Released!
