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.
mission
Vote Jesus
Next week is the Presidential election in the United States. The past several months we have been inundated with commercials and news reports extolling the virtues of one candidate while lambasting the other. Religious leaders have made their endorsements, as have the elite of the business, entertainment, and academic worlds. The whole world is watching to see who will be the President of the United States over the next four years. As a citizen of the United States, I feel it is my duty and privilege to vote for the political leaders I believe will best serve the needs of this country in the future. But more importantly, as a servant of the King of the Universe, I realize that whoever wins this election ultimately does not affect my purpose in life or my mission on earth.
What Drives You?
If we want to be fully devoted followers of Christ, we can have no motivation other than to continue His mission to bring the Kingdom of God to this earth. We can have dreams and goals, we can make plans and have fun, but if our ultimate aim is not to reflect His glory to a dying world, we will continue to miss the mark. Regardless of what you want to do with your life, if its sole purpose is not to obey and reflect God, you will never find peace and fulfillment. The question we all must ask ourselves is, “What are we living for”?
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.
We Can’t Stay Here
As I look around at the state of the church today, one thought keeps resonating in my head: “We can’t stay here”. Here is the dead religion of our fathers. Here is where over two billion people survive on less than $2 a day. Here is where countless young people have turned their back on Christ and walked away from His church. Here is a world filled with hatred, deceit, murder, rape, incest, slavery, and pedophilia. Here is a world that has lost its way. Here is a church full of people who have the cure but are too afraid to step outside of their comfortable air conditioned mausoleums we call “church”. Here the world lies bleeding. Here there is no hope. We can’t stay here.