Following his footsteps...

My church's senior pastor has done some ministry in England for several years and while there, he "be-friended" a very well off family. One afternoon this particular family invited him to dinner. When he arrived, the host took him around, showing them the house. In a particular hallway, my pastor observed the host's Oxford graduation picture. Walking up to it, he observed the host standing there, but looking to the right, my pastor observed a very familiar looking man. Pointing, my pastor exclaimed, "That's C.S. Lewis!" The host nodded and said seething, "Yeah.... I hated that guy." Extremely surprised, my pastor asked why. The host's response should inspire us all. "He was always in my face. After he became a Christian, he was always calling me, telling me I needed to be saved. He wouldn't leave me alone."


It makes me chuckle to think that one of the greatest writers of all time, and my personal hero, would come across as pushy, rude, etc. But it also convicts me that he did not care what others thought about him, that he was so open to share his faith. As I look at my own life, I dim in compare to this "great" man. What did he do that I didn't (or don't)? I can answer that quickly without question. He lived his faith joyfully, completely, in every aspect of his life.

Romans 15:13 states, "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Lewis had what most would call a passion, or nowadays, an obsession. He felt a joy and purpose in Christ that most have never felt. He was eager to share the feeling with others, perhaps even being "pushy or assertive" to impress others with his ultimate passion. It reminds me of a scene in the movie Elf, when Buddy the elf gets his first kiss. He dances into his father's office and shouts, without noticing who's in the room, "I'm in love! I'm in love! And I don't care who knows it!"

How often do you feel such joy in Christ that you dance and say, "I have Christ! I am free! And I don't care who knows it!" We'd be called freaks, wouldn't we? We'd be laughed at, teased, ridiculed... Take a look at 2nd Samuel 6: 14-16.

"David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart."
How would you feel if you saw a 40 year old man dancing around in his undergarments? I bet you would snort, chuckle a little. . . Michal even despised him for it. But honestly, how full do you think David's heart was at the moment when they brought back the ark? Overflowing. How full do you think Lewis' heart was when he spoke about Christ with his friends? Overflowing.

Tying things together, it was about the joy and completeness David and Lewis found in Christ. That's what I lack. There have been highs and lows in my relationship with God. I feel on fire for Him during youth conferences and a desire to tell the world, but the feeling quickly fades away after struggling through personall bible study. Christ tells us to deny ourselves... This starts by finding a supreme passion, acomplete obsession in Christ, and secondly, tell the world. For me, this starts today. I need to step out. I want to be like Lewis and shout, "I know Christ! I love Christ! And I don't care who knows it!"