You want to know what's really wrong with the world? In one sentence, the problem is that people don't want to obey Jesus. It's that simple. Every problem on earth stems from that. We live in a world full of people who want to indulge their every whim and desire. If it feels good, do it. Don't let anyone stop you from making yourself happy (even if it infringes on the happiness of others). Look out for number one (that's you). Jesus' message was so different than this.
A lot of people know only one thing that Jesus ever said, that's found in Matthew 7:1 (Judge not, lest you be judged). Even those who don't believe in the Bible quote this at people who disagree with them. People foolishly think that "judging" means we can't have reservations about things, or disagree with them. We can't say things are wrong. That isn't what Jesus was saying. If you read the passage in its entirety, it is actually talking about making the right judgments. Using the common sense God gave us to form conclusions isn't a sin. God Himself clearly judges sin and wrongdoing (Hebrews 9:27, For it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment. Exodus 34:7 ...but He will by no means clear the guilty). Jesus had to die for it, or none of us could be saved (First Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteousness...). God is the One who sets the standard of right and wrong. We can't decide to change it based on what society is saying about things, or about how we personally feel about it. There are certain things I would be very easy to sway about, but I'm not the standard. I never make statements about things being right or wrong simply because I decided it. I decided to agree with God, and what He has said in His Word. I will also add that I have many friends who disagree with me about things, and I don't think they're judging me, nor am I judging them. If any of you reading this think I am wrong about anything I state, please show me from God's word where I am wrong, and I will listen to you. If you don't have the Bible to back up your disagreement, you are still welcome to share your thoughts, but I will not change mine.
A much less popular statement Jesus made is found in Luke 9:23. If anyone will come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me. Jesus talks about self-denial, something that is so politically incorrect we never hear about it from society. Our world feels that we should never ask anyone to deny what they want or feel. But Jesus does...to each of us.
Jesus asks us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Him. What does that look like? It's a little different for each of us. We all have different crosses to bear. I once heard a beautiful story. A man was struggling with the cross he was called to bear daily. He asked God to give him a different cross, so God took him into a room full of crosses. They were all difference sizes. One was as big as the whole room. After looking at these different crosses, the man said to God, "I think I'll take this small one right here," to which God replied, "That's the one you came in with."
I will never flippantly tell someone to suck it up when they are struggling with their cross. I have no idea what struggle they have, or what it feels like. I'm not them, nor are they me. Trite answers won't encourage them in their personal battle. The encouragement I can leave them is what the Lord said to the Apostle Paul about his "thorn in the flesh" in Second Corinthians 12:9, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. We also have a promise from First Corinthians 10:13, there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted about that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. We never have to sin. We never have to give in. God is faithful. There is always another way! We have to hold to what God has said.
As I said, everyone has different crosses. Some crosses are lifelong, while others are for a season. When I was single, I struggled with sexual desires. I did not have a husband at the time, and according to the Bible (First Corinthians 7:2, Hebrews 13:4, and many other places in context), sex is for marriage. Since I wasn't married, sex wasn't for me at that time. It was hard, sometimes harder than others. I chose to agree with God. Unfulfilled sexual desires were something I had to take up daily, and still choose to obey God. God fulfilled me, deep in my heart. That turned out to be a special time in my life of deep Christian friendships and growing in Christ. I loved my job, friends, and church. I had time and opportunity to store up treasures in Heaven. And, with God's help, I denied myself and my desires, took up my cross daily, and followed Jesus. I am now happily married, and those desires are fulfilled. But I still have a cross. Right now, I am struggling with anxiety, an old cross that had disappeared for a while and now resurfaced. But I take it up daily, surrendering it to Jesus, and following after Him. It is something I can choose to indulge, or surrender. I'd rather surrender.
I know I'm going to step on toes, but so did Jesus, so here I go. There are people who genuinely have same-sex attraction, and people who struggle with their own gender. I don't claim to understand any of this. I am not a doctor, nor a psychiatrist. But I do know Jesus. I know the Bible. God is our perfect creator, so we must assume that He made no mistake when He crated any of us the gender we are (Psalm 139:13-14, for You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and Isaiah 45:9 Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker...does the clay say to the potter, what are you making? Does your work say, the potter has no hands?). People with this struggle have quite a cross. But Jesus is calling them to deny themselves, take up that cross, and follow Him...just like He is calling me to do it. As for same-sex attractions, I can't clam to understand how that feels, though I do know what it means to have unfulfilled sexual desires (see above paragraph!). I believe the feelings are legitimate, but those relationships are not God's will (Romans 1:18-32). Therefore, same-sex attraction is a cross. Just like all of us, they are called to deny themselves, take up their crosses daily and follow Jesus. And just like unmarried heterosexuals, they are called to celibacy. God is able to fulfill them. In fact, I truly believe some people who will get the most rewards in Heaven are those who struggled with sexual desires God did not want them to exercise, so they denied themselves, took up their crosses, and followed Jesus. Perhaps only their closest friends ever knew the struggle raging inside them.
Some crosses have nothing to do with sexuality. Some are illnesses, interpersonal relationships, uncomfortable situations, living in a difficult place, or any number of other things. No matter what the cross is, the solution is the same. Deny ourselves, take up that cross daily, and follow Jesus. Surrender is sweet. There are rewards in heaven, as well as on earth. In my sexual desires of my single years, God met me in some precious ways once I surrendered. In my current anxiety cross, God is again meeting me, and answering prayers in some very special ways. His Word is coming alive more. I have a deep joy that nothing in life can give me.
America promises life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Jesus offers something even better. Eternal life, freedom indeed, and joy. I choose Jesus. I choose to agree with God.
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