Means to an End

The theme for the readings this month was "Following Jesus Christ," where we examined the nature and implications of the call to discipleship.  The assignments included texts such as In His Image and Questions I'd Ask Before Following Jesus and viewings such as The Gospel of John.  We were also given an opportunity this month to spend an evening with Randy Newman, author of Questioning Evangelism.

So what does it mean to follow Jesus?  Well, we are clearly instructed in Mark 8:34, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." For some, denying oneself implies making drastic changes to their livelihood by abandoning everything they had ever known to join full-time ministry (the case of my parents).  For others, this prompts us to the daily exercise of abstaining from certain pleasures, desires, and tendencies to align with what He is calling us to be.  It's the constant surrender and stepping aside for the Holy Spirit to work in us.

What struck me the most through the readings is the realization that everything we do is never the end but the means to an end.  Michael Wilkins states, "The practice of study, guidance, and Scripture mediation are the means to an end, that is, acquiring God's truth so that we can grow in His love and service life Jesus.  They are not final goals themselves" (p. 95).  Yes, the daily seeking of the Lord in worship and prayer, the constant inquiring of the Lord on what steps to take, the continual struggle to renew my heart and mind... these are all means for the better end, not the finality themselves.

The reason this struck a chord with me is that in all honesty, I have found it easier to gloat over myself when I would come face-to-face with the healthy consequences of my sacrifices before Him.  It seemed almost natural to view such milestones as the culmination, comforting myself that I had finally arrived at something... whatever that was.  But what I am convicted of now is this-- while it is not a detriment to celebrate milestones, it is not right to be blinded of the final goal.

How many times have I picked myself up from a slump, gotten back on track with the Lord, and credited myself for the "finished product?  How many times have I made mere spots on the spectrum to be much bigger than they really were?  How many times did I spurt my own growth by losing sight of the big picture and the next steps ahead?  Yes indeed, "denying ourselves is not the goal, it is a means to the goal, which is found in the next stage of the process" (p. 85).

I do take some comfort in the fact that Jesus's disciples also faced such shortcomings.  Gordon MacDonald explains in Questions I'd Ask Before Following Jesus:

"While His disciples tended to be glue to the past and the present, Jesus focused on the future,  He saw every incident, conversation, and learning experience in light of future maturity.  His rebuke, for example, which might sting for a day or two, was not meant to humiliate.  Rather it was designed to form character for harsh times ahead."

In reading this, I not only take comfort in that my mishaps can be quite common, but I take true comfort in knowing that my Father understands these limitations and corrects me not for the sake of reprimand but to prepare and strengthen me for the struggles ahead.  This is why He gives us hints of the future without fully revealing and dictating the full picture, so that we would not divulge and obsess with today but instead use every part of our present moment to prepare us for the future and to continually keep our hope and trust in Him and in Him only.