I believe most people are sincere in their commitment to follow Christ. We really do want to make Him the Lord of our lives and to put Him before everything else. Satan knows this as well which is why he is constantly looking for ways to discourage and distract us. It’s not the catastrophic failures that tend to doom us; it’s the small, incremental distractions that knock us off course to the point that we one day wonder how we got where we are. So often a bad day finds us looking to anything other than God to salve our frustrations. We seek comfort in mindless entertainment or destructive addictions in hopes of numbing a life that has gone off plan and seemingly has no solution in sight. We neglect our first love (1 John 4:19; Revelation 2:4), and Satan is delighted. No matter what’s going on in your life, you must never let your affliction cloud your affection.
Luke
True Greatness
Do you ever look at the lives of fellow Christ followers and marvel at what they’re doing for God? You can get into a form of hero worship when you see the impact others are having for the Kingdom. It’s easy to rejoice over the glory God is receiving through their ministry, but at the same time I sometimes get a gnawing in my soul that says I should be doing more. Of course this is often accompanied by the niggling thoughts that I could never do what they do. Forget “I can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13). Apparently, that verse is for a select few according to my thinking in that moment.
Are You a Disciple?
In the life of every true follower of Christ, there comes a moment when lip-service faith is no longer good enough. At some point we recognize that the status quo isn’t getting it done. The things we have always been taught begin to ring hollow. We recognize how shallow we have been swimming in the ocean of love that is the spirit of God. This is when we must choose to dive deeper and discover what it means to live life as an authentic follower of Jesus or to continue living in dangerous mediocrity (Revelation 3:16). This is the moment of truth, and our eternity hangs on the decision we make.
Being Still
Almost all of God’s creation stands silent before Him, testifying to His glory simply by being what they were created to be. The grass is content to soften the steps of those who come across it. Trees reach heavenward in unspoken majesty. Flowers erupt in brilliant color, while streams flow gently over rocks to nourish and sustain the life within them. All of this is done in virtual silence. There is no need to rail against their Creator or obnoxiously draw attention to themselves. God’s creation is simply satisfied to be what it is and to testify to a Creator that is magnificent and beyond compare or comprehension. All of creation that is, except for the humans.
Culture Wars
It is virtually impossible to be a disciple of Jesus Christ without living a life of self-discipline. Following Jesus means our focus shifts from being self-focused to others-focused. While this sounds noble and good, it is ridiculously difficult to implement. Our culture has so indoctrinated us with the pursuit of things we “need” and “deserve” that it becomes extremely easy to rationalize spending our time and money on things of earth rather than Heaven. Even within the church there are those that preach that following Jesus leads to prosperity and good fortune. This is contrary to what the Bible teaches (2 Timothy 3:12; Luke 9:58); serving God is all about thinking less of ourselves and more of others.