In the book of Nehemiah chapter one verse 4 it says, “ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of Heaven”. This was after the Jewish exile and the Babylonians conquered Israel. 70 years later the Persians defeated the Babylonians, 90 years later Nehemiah was working for King Artaxerxes, and the wall of Jerusalem was falling, the nation was falling. In result of this, Nehemiah wept, prayed, and fasted for his nation. The question here is what breaks your heart? What should be done around me?
All of us have the potential of making better people. Some of us are capable of influencing and changing a slice of the world. If you’re a Jesus follower to the best of your ability, you must actively be involved in making someone better. Devotion to God shows devotion to others. The love for God is shown when you love others.
Jesus went everywhere and made things better, he modeled that everyone is precious in Gods sight. I can’t treat people like they are less than because they are not Christians, it's not us verses them. We are all in need of the same grace given from the Lord. Jesus didn’t do that- he died for all humanity.
When things break our hearts, it is a reflection of what breaks the Father's heart. Our sin broke his heart. You have no idea what hangs in the balance of what you can do. What if we haven’t done this? In order to know you have to go through what breaks your heart to find out. You have to go through people thinking your crazy to show what your capable of in order to change and have an impact on the world. This is how great things happen.
Take time to ask “God what breaks my heart”? A lot of people would ask, "Well how do I know what I am suppose to do in the world?" My response would be, "What are you passionate about? And then what breaks your heart?"
This world needs many things, but what is the one thing your heart leans towards? Is it one group, one category, one team or one person? What breaks your heart? What captures your heart?
If you move in the direction of the areas that break your heart, it's going to cost you time, money and sacrifice. It will cost you your life. We are life savers, life preservers ,and we will feel like we are losing our life- that you’re giving away a part of your life.
Surrendering requires sacrifice, and if you don’t surrender, it results to this: “Whoever devotes themselves to themselves will have nothing but themselves to show for themselves”. Luke 17:33. Jesus says if you have this at the end of your life, it is a total loss. If you lose your life, you will save it, if you try to save your life you will lose it. We want to lose our lives to follow Jesus. The crowds wanted to touch Jesus- the sick people, the diseased people. Large crowds were following Jesus.
We must have the same passion as the woman who just wanted to touch Jesus’ cloak. Let me make a note that she fought through the crowds to get to Jesus, not at the face of Jesus, but at the bottom of his cloak, at his feet, and that was good enough for her.
You become a true follower of Christ when you lose your life to follow God. The essence of following Jesus is self-denial not self-improvement.
“And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”. Luke 14:27
When Jesus said “cross” there was emotion. Whatever you're called to do in order to receive Gods goodness, you need to submit.
In Mark 8:34-35 He summoned the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it."
It is a call to give up something to receive something better. To deny yourself is to say “no” to your wants so you can say “yes” to something bigger than you. All of this to say that it is an invitation from Jesus to live a life of purpose. At some point in life, you will ask yourself is it worth it? What breaks your heart?
