Self-Realization?

"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. " - Luke 17:33

I easily lose sight of the uncompromising sternness in the teaching of Jesus. The price and logic of the Cross was very real to Him, and He intended to communicate that seriousness--that urgency--to His disciples. I doubt it was any less radical to them than it is to me.

Modern society has witnessed the idolatry of the individual, and many of us, in varying degrees, have bought into it. The notion that it is my responsibility to make something of myself cannot be traced back to God. It is rather my responsibility to make something of YOU.

Oswald Chambers, in characteristic gut-wrenching style, puts it this way:

"The initiative of the saint is not towards self-realization, but towards knowing Jesus Christ... We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy spiritual retirement; we are here so to realize Jesus Christ that the Body of Christ may be built up. Am I building up the Body of Christ, or am I looking for my own personal development only?"

Does that ever hit home! And, as a principle, it even goes beyond home. Chambers continues:

"The Church ceases to be a spiritual society when it is on the look-out for the development of its own organization. The rehabilitation of the human race on Jesus Christ's plan means the realization of Jesus Christ in corporate life as well as in individual life."

It is easy to forget that you have been bought with a price and that any independence you once claimed (or fancied) must be made subservient to God's purpose and God's glory. The worldly man may go where he pleases, but when once I have locked my radar on heaven, it is up to God to determine how He gets me there. The analogy of the plough we find in the gospels is a helpful one. It is impossible to become an accomplished ploughman through introspection and self-improvement. The entire purpose of the ploughman is to make a straight furrow, and the only way to do that is to get your eyes off yourself and onto something a little less relative.