In 2 Timothy 2:4, Paul tells us that “No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the recruiter.” Each of us has been recruited by Jesus Himself to serve as soldiers in His army. Our orders are to further His mission and bring about the Kingdom of God here on earth. When we said yes to Jesus, we enlisted in His service for the remainder of our lives. We surrendered our individual wills and desires in deference to the plans and purposes of God. We are no longer our own, for we were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
Matthew
Fan or Follower?
What are we doing? How much longer are we going to play at this thing called Christianity? We prayed the prayer. We got baptized. We’re good. Is that all there is? Why did Jesus say that one day many would come to Him saying, “Lord, Lord!”, and yet He will send them away because He never knew them (Matthew 7:21-23)? Are we missing something? Surely we know and are blessed by God; how else could we be so content and living such comfortable lives? We have been lulled into a false security and our very lives hang in the balance.
Solutions for Apathy
I recently wrote a post about apathy in the church today (See “Apathy”). It struck me after publishing that piece that while it was heavy on stating the problem, it was a little light on providing solutions. It’s easy to spot problems and rail against them. It’s another thing entirely to take a step back and suggest solutions. I don’t want to be a person who simply points out flaws but presents no way to correct them. I want to be like Jesus. He was all about answers. His mission was to provide a solution to the problem, not simply point out our flaws (John 3:17).
Apathy in the Church
Apathy is the rule of the day in the American church. We are surrounded by evil yet cling to our traditions in hopes we can keep the world at bay. I don’t know when it all happened and I don’t think it is unique to America. Free and affluent countries around the globe have squandered the wealth and opportunity afforded them, and now a new generation is turning away from God in record numbers. We had so much and we did so little. I believe this will be what we are judged for when we see God. How could we who were so blessed have produced so little?
Number Your Days
Psalm 90:12 instructs us to number our days. When we understand that our time on this planet is limited, we can begin to live with a greater sense of urgency and purpose. All of us realize that we will die someday, but few of us live like we believe it. We spend our days engaged in trivial pursuits and sleepwalking through our nights as if there will always be another. Many have resigned themselves to the mediocrity of conformity and accept the notion that as long as they are comfortable and able to “get by”, then life is good and they are doing enough. This isn’t the “abundant” life promised by Jesus, so why are we so willing to settle for it?