28 March, 2024

Trading Potential for Passion

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by | 5 March, 2006 | 0 comments

Given the opportunity to do some serious rehabbing, God transformed most of our biblical heroes from a “handyman”s special” into a showcase. Trading Places, a new book by Steve Wyatt from Standard Publishing, tells their stories””and encourages Christians today to let God do the same work in their lives.

According to Wyatt, this happens as we are willing to make the Great Exchange: “finding Christ”s power right in the vortex of my own weakness.” To do this, we apply the X Factor, putting off old habits and attitudes and putting on the mind of Christ (Ephesians 4:17-24).

His book is conversational and convicting, engaging and encouraging.

See what we mean as you enjoy this excerpt. (And you can order a copy–or multiple copies–of the book by clicking here.)




By Steve Wyatt

Jesus saw something in John nobody else could see. He loved seeing potential in people and displaying his amazing glory in “losers” others had tossed aside. He loved shaping nobodies into somebodies! He took the weak and made them strong; he transformed the rebellious into humble servants. He took people as they were and transformed them into what, one day””through the power of God””they could become!

Jesus took one look at Peter and saw a powerful spokesman for the gospel. Kind of flighty? Yeah. Impulsive and erratic? Definitely. A gift for exaggeration? We all know that”s true. Yet, there was just something about that guy.

When Jesus met Andrew, he saw a future evangelist. Kind of quiet? Yeah. Almost introvertish? Sure! Yet after spending time with Jesus, guess what? Every time you find Andrew in Scripture, he”s bringing yet somebody else to come meet Jesus.

So why should it surprise us that when Jesus saw John, he saw a man of enduring, inner strength. Kind of sensitive? Yep. He covered it with a snarly attitude, but he was at the core a very tender soul, the type Peter could grind into mincemeat if he wanted. And yet he was the kind of man who””with just a little help from Jesus””could become a real anchor for the faith, a to-the-death kind of follower who would stay at a task when everybody else, including Peter, had already cut and run.

Last Man Standing

It”s true. John wasn”t at all like Peter. Not at all the step-up-to-the-mic face guy who could deliver the Pentecost sermon with the power such a moment required (see Acts 2:14-40). But you know what? What John could do . . . John did.

That”s why Jesus affirmed to John that there was a place for him on Jesus” first team. And the truth is, John would be the last man standing when all the others ran for cover.

Now aren”t you glad Jesus didn”t demand that John act like Peter, or James, or any of the others? He wanted John to reflect God”s glory exactly as God had wired John to be.

Besides, it was Peter who tested Jesus” patience (see Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33), but it was John that Jesus loved.

And that”s what I love about Jesus.

Good leader that he was, he knew that everyone contributes differently and that there”s no one right way to get things done. Those who practice an “it”s my way or the highway” style will lose every time they compete against someone who accepts people as they are (and where they are), building on their own innate personalities and shaping them into whatever God (not the boss) wants them to be.

If everybody looked, talked, and acted the same, our world would be like an Osmond family Christmas special. The kind of leadership Jesus modeled requires the ability to affirm uniqueness, to seek out previously untapped talent, and then to challenge people to channel those abilities in the direction of their God-given potential.

The problem is, we don”t do that very well. We tend to be drawn to people like ourselves, right? At least I do. You know why? Because I”m normal! And if only everybody else would just shape up and get it together””you know, like me?””we could get things done!

But don”t you find it a bit strange that nobody in your life is normal but you? Isn”t it odd that everybody you know is a weirdly mutated wacko””except you?

Hey, if Peter really was the consummate disciple, then why did Jesus go ahead and choose 11 more? If Peter really was the prototype, why mess with perfection?

I”ll tell you why. It”s because nobody has the complete package. We all have our strengths, but we all also have our weaknesses.

Some people are introverts, and all the extroverts make fun of “em. Some people are dreamers, much to the consternation of the bottom-liners. Some folks are artistic by nature””while others can hit a softball 473 miles””on a clothesline. But who”s to say one is any better than the other?

Certainly not Jesus. And that”s why when he put together his team, Jesus picked 12; he didn”t just pick one.

It”s entirely OK for you to just be you, to celebrate the fact that you”re wired exactly as God intended you to be wired.

So the great challenge of your life is not to be re-created into somebody else”s image for you, but for you to be the best you you can be!

I don”t mean that you ought to be impervious to change, or that you”re fine just as you are and that you have no need for any kind of self-improvement. I”m not saying that!

Of course, there are adjustments you should make! Just as there were adjustments John needed to make””not to mention the rest of that crowd.

I mean, Philip needed to be less obsessed with numbers and more impressed with God. Andrew needed to trust more than his own instincts””he needed to trust Jesus! Peter needed to listen more than he spoke. And John? He needed to get over being angry and just be the man God made him to be.

And Jesus was deeply committed to seeing those changes happen, but””and here”s the key””he affirmed each disciple for the unique person he already was.

See, if you really love someone, you want him to become all he can be. But then again, if you really love him””what he is right now is OK, too.

Of course, Jesus stretched John, but he did it in a context of acceptance. There was never a moment when John had to wonder, What”s Jesus thinking about me? Is there something I need to do to make sure he still accepts me?

None of that ever happened on Jesus” team.

Molding a Man of Passion

Instead, Jesus brought John from where he was to where he needed to be, in an atmosphere of love. Even more, he adjusted his methods for stretching John according to John”s unique personality.

Here”s what I mean. A man of passion (like John) can easily be abused. You can tap into that wholehearted passion that so obviously drives him, and you can wring out of that dude everything you think you need. Then when he”s wrung dry? You can just toss him aside and find another victim.

Although Jesus could have done that to John, he didn”t.

Instead, he ministered to John (and the others) according to a principle I”m really trying to cultivate. Jesus viewed his men, not in terms of “What can that person do for me?” but rather, “What can I do for him?”

Because true leadership is not about manipulating people. It”s not about pushing your agenda or putting people down or using your role or record of achievement as some subtle, yet effective, hammer.

Manipulation controls people, obligates people, and takes advantage of people by unfair and unscrupulous means. And manipulation is usually practiced by insecure people who try to look superior by making other people squirm. Such tactics are not usually done in a bold, up-front manner, but behind closed doors. Or with subtle hints and well-timed sarcasm.

I want to show you two vignettes from Jesus” encounters with John, each revealing the personal and tender way Jesus carefully ministered to him. And please note””Jesus ministered to John; he did not manipulate John.

Grabbing for the Throne

The first scene is a rather disturbing encounter between Jesus and John”s mother. According to Matthew 20:20, she “came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.” Now John”s mom was Salome. And according to Scripture, Salome was with Mary, the mother of Jesus, when Jesus was on the cross. Which is fitting because Salome was Mary”s sister (see Mark 15:40; John 19:25; also Matthew 4:21; 27:56). So what we have here is Jesus” aunt asking Jesus for a favor. Yet, she bows at his feet! Most aunts don”t do that when they greet their nephews, but Salome”s layin” it on thick, baby!

Jesus asked, “What is it you want?”

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom” (v. 21).

Now don”t be too hard on her. After all, she”s a good Jewish mother. She”s proud of her boys. And since Jesus just said that all 12 are gettin” a throne, I can hear her thinking, Why not give the best seats to your cousins, Jesus? Obviously, you deserve the center seat, but can Jimmy and Johnny have the next two? After all, Jesus, we”re family!

You don”t know what you are asking,” Jesus said. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

I don”t think they had a clue what Jesus was saying. I think they were so blinded by ambition, they would have said anything if it meant grabbing that throne! “”˜We can,” they answered” (v. 22).

Jesus said, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father” (v. 23).

Matthew says that when the other disciples heard what John”s mama asked, they were indignant! Do you know why? They were ticked because James and John thought to ask before they thought to ask! That”s why!

I don”t want to do a hatchet job on these guys, but Jesus” disciples were as selfish and greedy and competitive as any team of coworkers could be!

And even though Jesus constantly warned them about beatings and floggings””and foxes with holes and birds with nests””they didn”t get it. They didn”t leave behind family and career just to watch their beloved leader die in disgrace! They had signed up for future glory and all the perks reserved for the powerful!

Remember Peter”s question to the Lord? “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” (Matthew 19:27). What he really wanted to know was, “What will there be . . . for me?” He didn”t care about them. And they didn”t care about him. It was all about me!

Reaching for the Towel

The second scene happens in Matthew 18, when the disciples came asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom?” (v. 1). “I mean, besides You. Who”s number two?” Luke says an argument had ensued. The disciples were engaged in a seething, volatile discussion as to which of them was second in line after Jesus. Truth is, they”d already voted, and it came back a 12-way tie!

Such competition continued all the way to the cross. Even on the night Jesus was betrayed, the entire dinner conversation was yet another discussion concerning who was the greatest in the kingdom.

And that”s why Jesus grabbed the towel. Because Peter didn”t get it. Andrew didn”t get it. Judas obviously didn”t get it. Then again, neither did the one guy Jesus thought just might get it. Not even John understood.

So Jesus, having already taught this principle many times (and by this time he was no more than 12 hours away from the cross), slipped away from the table, drew some water, wrapped a towel around his waist, and began the humble, undignified task of washing his disciples” dirty feet (see John 13:4, 5). And even as he knelt before that first set of dirty toes, the disciples were still at it: which of us is the greatest?

Till they heard the sound of splashing water. That”s when everyone realized, there”s an elephant in here! Here we are, arguing about who gets to sit where””debating about who”ll be number two when number one gets his glory””yet number one is doing the very thing he said we should have done.

Do you recall what Jesus said right after John”s mama asked about seating assignments? And anybody remember who it was he said it to? Not just James and John. No, Jesus directed his rebuke to his entire team.

By the way, that”s another beautiful thing about Jesus” ministry style. Whatever he said to one of his men, he said to all of his men. It”s true . . . Jesus recruited individuals, but he trained them as a team. And that”s a lesson all of us could profit from.

So even though John was his primary focus, Jesus said to all of “em, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave””just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).

Back in the upper room, it”s the night before his death””but they still didn”t get it! So does Jesus blow a fuse? Does he threaten and cajole and harass and harangue them?

No! Instead, while they”re busy grabbing for the throne, Jesus humbly””and with great love””reached for the towel.

Christ”s Consistent Example

It”s moments like that, I”m convinced, that forever marked John”s heart. Have you ever wondered why Jesus made such an impact on his disciples? There”s an answer: because everything Christ said was always reinforced by what he did. His was an impeccably consistent example. He didn”t just talk serving; Jesus served.

Can you imagine watching Jesus in action? Not for just a brief glimpse or a handful of momentary encounters. But night and day . . . for three years!

Think of it: no one executed the Great Exchange more effectively than Jesus. When he came to earth, he set aside all the glories of Heaven for the indignities of humanity. Then he waited patiently””for God”s perfect moment when his salvation would finally be revealed.

He put off “equality with God” (Philippians 2:6) and put on the “nature of a servant,” making “himself nothing” (v. 7).

And he feverishly maintained a vital connection with the Father””even in the most intense moments of his life””saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). A powerful example of the X Factor.

And nobody watched Jesus more closely than John.

He”d spent day and night for three years with the most loving yet utterly manly man this world has ever known””a man who was also the most giving, most kind, most servant-hearted leader to ever wear the leadership mantle.

One minute Jesus was rebuking his men for their pride, and the next, he was washing their feet””without a harsh word or any suggestion that they should wash his in return. What love! What a sensitive and passionate man!

Jesus””constantly pressed by so many needs, yet always willing to cradle a child. Jesus””the object of so many pleas for his attention, yet scooping a dead girl into his arms and giving her back her life. Why, Jesus even embraced a man with leprosy, the social outcast of his day, whom everybody else called “unclean.”

Matthew 9 says that whenever Jesus saw large crowds of people, he was moved to the point of upset. He knew their lost, wandering condition. And it made him ill.

When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept””openly . . . loudly.

When Jesus prayed in the garden, his passion was so strong he actually sweat huge drops of blood.

In John 1:14, Jesus is described as the “Word” that “became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” Can there be any doubt? Jesus was the greatest collection of flesh the world has ever known. And you can”t follow someone like that””you cannot walk in his footsteps””and not be impacted by his sensitive ways.

So I ask you, how could John not become more sensitive and responsive to the needs of others? How could he not become a man of incredible, awe-inspiring love as he stayed close to Jesus and learned of him””as he applied the X Factor?

But understand: John didn”t fundamentally alter his very personality. He simply moved from being a passionate, angry man to being a passionate . . . man of love.

And if you were to ask him how it happened? His answer would go something like this: “I love him because he first loved me” (see 1 John 4:19).

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