Too often the modern church, particularly those of us in the West, run around like a bunch of immature teenagers. We are convinced that our way is the only right way. We know what we want, and we want it right now! Convinced that we know all there is to know, we pontificate and lead the masses astray. Paul admonished the church in Corinth that even though they had been instructed in the ways of Christ, they were still immature (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). It seems we’ve learned little in the 2,000 years since Paul wrote that letter; we are still like babes, selfish adolescents in His Kingdom.
purpose
It’s Not about the Past
One of the most common reasons I hear from people for not following Christ is that God could never use someone like them because of what they had done in their lives. They think they are unworthy and unlovable, unacceptable by a holy God. They may indeed battle with feelings of inadequacy, but I submit that all of the above is really just a convenient excuse for them. I believe it’s not so much an issue of what they’ve done that keeps them from following Jesus, but rather more a case of what they are currently doing. More deterrent than guilt from their past is the prospect of giving up the things in their present.
Live Every Moment
Living a life wholly devoted to following Christ is not normal. People will look at you strange as you go about your days in service to others. You’ll be laughed at, ostracized, avoided and ignored. Jesus made people uncomfortable in their selfishness, and when we live lives that look like His, we will do the same. This can lead to us becoming discouraged, but it is at this moment that we must remind ourselves that it is not about us; it’s about reflecting and demonstrating the love of Jesus to everyone else. When we keep the mission of Christ in focus, we will realize that no amount of ridicule or persecution is unbearable in light of what we have been chosen to do.
In Another Life
I realize there may be some of you reading this blog who think it all sounds well and good, and you’d really like to commit everything to Jesus, but you’ve wasted years of your life already and are now in a situation that prohibits you from leading a life that looks like Christ. Perhaps you tell yourself that in another life you would have done great things for the Kingdom, you would have been the most committed and devoted follower of Christ this world had ever seen; in another life… Meanwhile you have what’s left of this life to decide what you will do for the sake of God and His glory.
Giving
I debated on writing a specific Christmas post this year. On the one hand, it’s what Christian bloggers are supposed to do; I’m pretty sure there’s a rule book somewhere that covers stuff like this. On the other hand, this blog is about living unconventionally in a way that flies in the face of the establishment. But when it comes down to it, the core of the message I write about is the amazing gift of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. This gift would have never occurred had it not first been for the birth of a Savior into our world; we would be lost without hope had God not sent His Son to be born as a baby over 2,000 years ago. There is no cross without the manger, no redemption without revelation.