No Compromise!
It means many things to many people. For Christians it is perhaps best known as the title of the biography of the late musician Keith Green written by his wife Melody. The prelude on the back cover of the book reads:
He was only twenty-eight when he died in a plane crash with two of his small children, but singer/songwriter Keith Green had already created a legacy of music and inspiration that would outlive him. A spiritual revolutionary, he found freedom through Jesus at twenty-one and spent the rest of his short life convincing others to refuse to accept the status quo and to bring passion and honesty back to the church.
Mike Bickle, founder of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City added to that, “Keith’s boldness was unprecedented, in our generation in America. He shattered the mold.”
Bold and shattering are vogue in today’s culture. But unlike Keith Green, they aren’t always done from a Christian faith-centered approach and that makes a big difference.
In the most shallow sense some people get tattoos and body-piercings, do dieting and bodybuilding, fashion and cosmetics, gain possessions and build social life all simply for the sake of being bolder and more earth shattering than the next person.
American ideals and history gave birth to a deeper embrace of our innate human nature (designed by God) to be free. This freedom has led to unprecedented advances in life that regularly shatter the limiting molds of human existence. Yet, somewhere along the way “everyone endowed by their Creator for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” got corrupted. Look around. There’s a lot of pride, arrogance, and unbridled-self. We’ve seen too many fitness models, action heroes, preachers, super stars and otherwise glorified humans have an insatiable quest for beauty and more. They emulate and encourage a message of self-created determination and success.
We all need a different message and a different kind of messenger.
Others however live without compromise because they want to make a statement or stand for something meaningful. A couple of examples:
– Actress Angelina Jolie goes public about her double mastectomy to raise awareness for breast-cancer screening.
– The 2012 Sports Illustrated SportsKids of the Year Conner and Cayden Long compete in triathlons together, demonstrating the depth of love and the power to choose a path of greater value.
People like this do things like that and we get inspired. But, we need more than inspiration. We all need a different message and a different kind of messenger. There’s an important lesson to learn. It is a defining spiritual truth. The good we do falls short if we do it to show our goodness. Our best-worked plans will never achieve the impact of a humble and fully yielded will to God. “Living life without compromise” IS a compromise if you don’t live without everything else.
All of the things in your life; your physical strength, your wealth, your sense of adventure, your values, your influence, your accomplishments and your personal mission don’t give you freedom if you depend on them. They are gifts from God. Find your dependence in Him alone. Only then can you celebrate freedom and live without compromise.
Train strong in Christ,
-Brad Bloom, Publisher
This Publisher's Letter is part of the June/July 2013 issue of Faith & Fitness Magazine.
More articles from this issue:
Helping Make Military Families Stronger
Biggest Looser Gains It All Back And Then Some
College Time – How Will You Use The Next 24?
The Insatiable Quest For Beauty
