Life is full of the unexpected. We plan our lives in one direction when out of the blue everything changes. We can’t control every circumstance around us. Our own lack of discipline leaves us open to failures we would have never imagined. Dreams die, hopes are dashed, and everything we once had figured out no longer makes sense. Such is the plight of practically every soul who has ever walked our planet. Somewhere along the line, despite our best intentions, our plans go awry. These are the moments that prove whether or not Christ is truly the Lord of our lives.
Discipline
Abandoned to Obedience
In David Platt’s latest book, “Follow Me”, there is a powerful passage that details what our lives should look like as followers of Jesus. The author writes, “All throughout history, God has purposed to raise up a people who by His grace are so holy and so pure and so abandoned in their obedience to Him that they dread the thought of disobedience. A people who are so serious about sin that they help each other to avoid it at every turn because they know how dangerous and deadly it is. God has determined to display His character through a distinct people who show a watching world that He is great, holy, powerful, and pure.”
Reading the Bible
Every time I read through the Bible, I enjoy it more. For the past few years I have practiced the habit of reading it yearly, and this year I decided to read it twice. The reason is because with each reading I gain greater understanding of the overall picture and better comprehend how it relates to my life. If you’ve never read through the whole Bible, I encourage you to do so. You don’t have to wait for January 1st to begin. You don’t even have to complete it in a year. Just take it a small piece at a time. You’ll be surprised how the momentum builds as you discipline yourself to read just a couple of chapters each day.
Living for Jesus
I recently heard Greg Boyd say how troubled he was that “so many people say they are willing to die for Christ, yet they aren’t willing to live for Him”. How easy it is for us to proclaim our loyalty to Jesus and say that we would never deny Him, even if that meant being killed. If that is true, why is it we live lives that look exactly like those around us? How can it possibly be true that we would have the resolve to die for Christ when we can’t even muster the discipline to live for Him in our daily lives?
I Surrender All
There’s a certain appeal to abandoning everything for Christ. We’re compelled by the sheer enormity of the task. It can be alluring to so radically go against the flow of society. We will indeed stand out as a very peculiar people. That’s the vision many have when they embark on total surrender. The act is noteworthy and pleasing to God. Our deepest desire is to live our lives in a way that glorifies Jesus. So why do so many who choose to surrender all wind up going back to recover some of it for themselves?