A Heart of No Compromise

There's a song by Brian & Jen Johnson called Where You Go I Go that plays on my ipod quite often. In this song, she sings, 'Give me a heart of no compromise. Help me to be more like You.' I can't tell you how many times I've prayed a prayer like that. I recognize that compromise in my own life has been the element that has undone a lot of good that could have been otherwise.

Today I was reading in Mark 1:14-20, as part of a Bible study I'm taking part in right now. In verse 18, it says this about the men Jesus had called to follow Him: 'And at once they left their nets (yielding up all claim to them) and followed Him.' Verse 20 also says this: '...abandoning all mutual claims, they left their father Zebedee...and went off after Him (Jesus).'

I thought I'd share these thoughts:

These men were a few of the 12 men who would eventually work to establish the church, spread the Gospel, and change the course of history in a major way to include Christianity. Look at their heart conditions, even at the moment Jesus first called them. They dropped everything - leaving behind work and family - and gave up all claims to their former ways of life. They unreservedly joined Him, following wherever He went.

I often wonder at the fact that 12 men could begin what a billion Christians today cannot seem to finish, and I wonder why. This seems to shed some light on that very issue. I think the Church, generally speaking, has lost this heart of no compromise. When we hear God calling us, or asking something of us, we are willing to respond, but only to a certain degree. We go far enough to be doing something, but not so far that we let go of all claims to what we already have. We are a people holding on to our current lives, not really willing to lay them down, as Jesus says we must. We genuinely love God, we believe in God, but we are trying to serve Him on our own terms.

Think of how vastly different things would have been if the disciples had responded then as we do now:

• 'I'll go with you, but I have to come back tomorrow to fish.'
• or, 'I'd love to follow You and go with You, but let's not go far. I want to be near my dad.'

They would have been part-time disciples, coming in and out of service to Jesus, always coming back to the life they had before. They would have missed out on the experiences of traveling with Him, hearing Him teach, seeing Him perform miracles, and having Him pour into their own lives. They would have missed out on the friendship and intimacy that comes only from being with someone committedly and continuously. They would have missed out on the opportunity to change the world!

Think of all we give up by compromising - doing some version of what He asks of us, but still holding on to our own ideas and ways of living. What are we missing out on? If we only would live with a heart of no compromise, what would He be willing and able to do through us for His kingdom? It's an awesome thought.