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.
Matthew
Simple Truth
Søren Kierkegaard once said, “The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.” He’s absolutely correct. The Bible is very easy to understand. The question really is whether or not we want to hear what it has to say. With knowledge comes responsibility, and with responsibility comes obligation. If we know what the Word says, we are either compelled to obey it or reject it.
The Nudge of God
Obedience is a lightening rod of a word. We all want to obey God, to do everything He tells us to do. Intrinsically we all know that this is the only way to live a totally fulfilled life. When we walk contrary to His Word everything is, at best, a bit off. Aspiring disciples seek to follow Christ whatever the cost. Sometimes I think it’s easier to do this in the loud, noticeable ways then in the subtle, quiet activities. How many times have you ignored a simple prompting to help someone in need? It’s so easy to rationalize our way out of that scenario. It’s in these seemingly insignificant moments that Jesus refines our character and we build our obedience to Him.
Asleep In the Light
It’s amazing how warnings we received years ago still go unheeded. I was compelled to listen to an old Keith Green CD this week and the lyrics from his song, “Asleep In the Light”, jumped up and grabbed me much as they did when I first heard the song 30 years ago. It’s a call to waken a dead and sleeping church to the reality that there are people dying and going to hell every minute of our lives. We are called to tell others about Christ in order that they might repent and be saved from an otherwise unimaginable fate. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not getting the job done.
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.