Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus
There comes a time in each of our lives when we must choose between self-preservation and simply doing what is right. We will choose to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of a friend or give up what we want in order to gain what we truly need. It is in these times that we learn what we really value. Are we who we say we are? Do we stand for what we say we believe? We are defined by our actions, not our words. When the time comes for you to act, what will you do?
Maybe you’re different from me. Perhaps you accepted Christ and immediately began serving Him with all your heart and never looked back. If that’s your story, then I envy you. My life hasn’t worked out that way. Since accepting Christ it’s been a roller coaster of obedience and outright defiance. Some days are better than others; honestly, some years are better than others. I’ve seen growth, sometimes in small increments, sometimes in leaps and bounds. Throughout the majority of my days has been this uncomfortable thread of sin. No matter how committed I’ve attempted to become, disobedience always seems to creep back in. Can you relate?
Despite being the wealthiest people to ever walk the face of the earth, we still face daily struggles that interfere with our desire to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Most of us do not struggle with knowing where we will find our next meal or have to face being tortured because of our faith. Still, each of our lives brings their own set of challenges that can discourage us. Usually it becomes difficult to remember for whom we have pledged to live. When we do remember, it is a struggle to understand what it looks like to follow Jesus. I’ve got three practical applications for your life to help you put some discipline behind your devotion.
Two simple statements that should mark the lives of every follower of Christ are “live simply” and “give generously”. In the Western world where we find ourselves the wealthiest people in history, it can be difficult to remember the way in which we have been called to live. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is Proverbs 30:7-9 which says “Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me with the food I need. Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.” What an amazing way to live – relying on God for daily provision, finding no pride or identity in our possessions, but rather simply trusting in God to provide.
Too many self-proclaimed Christians believe that maturity in Christ will happen automatically over time. They think the longer they have known Him, the more they will know about Him. None of our other relationships work this way, so why should we expect our relationship with God to be the exception? We might have the same mail delivery person for twenty years, but odds are we will never actually know them. We probably know their name and might even recognize and wave to them at the grocery store, but that is generally as deep as our relationship will ever go. Unless we make a conscious effort to understand what makes the other person tick, to share dreams and aspirations together, to help one another in a time of need – until we do those things, we can’t truly be in a relationship with them. Yet we think with God this dynamic will somehow be different. We believe that since He is God and we said a prayer to Him, our relationship will magically blossom and all will be well.