On the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall (near Fredericksburg), there is a Lutheran church that stands on the other side of the river from the ranch home. When the park ranger was talking about the ranch to us, she was asked if LBJ was a Lutheran. "LBJ," she said smiling, "Was pretty much whatever religion he needed to be."
I laughed because having heard LBJ talk, seen him speak, watched him on TV, and now in biography and film, I'm certain that he took advantage of whatever leverage was necessary to get a bill passed, to make a nomination work, and basically, to get his way.
We may have convinced ourselves that we are not like that, a chameleon who changes color when the time is necessary to do so, but we are. We go in and out of this world daily. Prayers in the morning, time with God. Get into car, lose everything I gained when I prayed. We have our feet in two worlds - earthly and heavenly, and we find ourselves attempting to compromise both as necessary.
Christ is told by a teacher of the law in Matthew, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Christ replies, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay." (8:19 - 20) Animals have a place to call home, so the creature comforts we find ourselves in are difficult to part with. When we say we want to follow Christ, Jesus wants us to know the path we've chosen.
What do we need to give up to follow Christ? What is standing in our way of serving him and serving our earthly desires? Pray that when called upon to serve, we give up our earthly comfort and choose Christ.
Hope Men's Ministry
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