The Tub-Thumper's Cause

A Tub-Thumper is 'a vociferous supporter (as of a cause)'; Historically, these individuals were known for their amusing, impassioned, and sometimes loud way of public speaking. The earliest known Tub-Thumpers were that of preachers on a pulpit--'tub' being used at that time as a synonym for the pulpit (stage) and 'thumper' because these speakers were known for pounding their fists, perhaps to generate interest or wake up their listeners.

*as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary

Tub-Thumpers of Old, preaching and teaching the one and only cause they knew to be of eternal significance

Too many today would attribute a cause to something rarely relevant, supporting movements and methods that speak far less than any thing valuable, not even worthy of note. The day and age of our generation, one wherein data and information are on a constant flurry--thanks to the internet--has unfortunately made us all jaded and ignorant of the meaningful, the significant, the priceless, the enduring, and the eternal.

Sadly, we process a lot of ideas, thoughts, concepts, and isms but none of them really impact us in a way that is long-standing and life-altering. We've got a lot of buzz-worthy causes to support, Facebook advocacy pages to like, even Twitter personalities to follow but not a whole lot of substance nor truth to feed on.

With this, you've got multitudes all swearing allegiance to the next "greatest" thing, jumping on the band-wagon of the next craze or fad, listening to and following the next most emphatic and charismatic leaders, moving towards all sorts of propaganda, methodology, and ways of life that are unheard of, unparalleled, and unabashed. It is the follow-me generation.

Where there is an abundance of self, there is a lack of concern for outside of the self.
Where there is a self-centered embodiment, there is none of a God-centered enlightenment.

To put it bluntly, it is a Christ-less generation.
Consequentially, a Christ-less generation will be a life-less generation.

These very words of Jesus speak a thousand-fold into our lifeless predicament:
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10 ESV

Jesus came. Jesus gave His life. Jesus alone makes us live life abundantly.

Whatever is the cause of your life, the passion that drives you, the very thing that you wake up to every morning, the last thought on your mind before you sleep, the meaning to which you will ascribe the days of your life, the purpose of the very things that you do and strive for--IF NOT CHRIST--utterly pales in comparison and ultimately disappoints.

Many try to find life in making much of things, objects, events, careers, feelings, and even people but none will ever match the other-worldly beauty, majestic excellence, extravagant love, and sheer mystery of Christ. He alone can satisfy the human soul because He alone created it. The void that we all try to fill with so many worthless and useless things can only be ultimately filled by Christ.

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

There will never be any other cause worth living and dying for. A cause that outlasts even its followers, advocates, supporters, and also opponents. A cause that is more valuable and significant than any other. The Cause of Christ.

The next time you are to consider what cause you will live and die for, consider Christ. For He alone is everlasting and is worthy of our complete devotion, service, and surrender. His cause is the cause of Salvation for whoever believes in Him. His cause is love that dies on the cross. His cause is repentance that leads to life. His cause is unwavering faith that leads to a heavenly inheritance. His cause is to be close with you. His cause is to be Christ to you so that you may be Christ to others. His cause is undeniably, primarily, and simply...you.

That is the cause of The Tub-Thumper,

the cause of Christ.