God's own?

A comedy called City Slickers, (1991) about three guys who try to recover their male identity with a trip to a cattle ranch in the West, included a great performance by the late Jack Palance in the role of an old cowboy who cryptically told the guys that life was about finding the 'one thing' that is important. He never defined 'one thing,' which was part of the humor of the film. Funny or not, it is true. A life well lived has focus, has passion, and is shaped by purposeful pursuit of One! There are many ways to earn a living, many ways to find enjoyment in our world - but just One Person from whom we can gain 'life to the full.' I don't need to be cryptic. God, who made Himself known to us in the Man, Jesus Christ, is that One Person on whom a life of meaning is centered.

Some of you are thinking, "Jerry, are you implying we all have to become employees of the Church?" to find a meaningful life. No way! But, all Believers are ministers (servants) called to do the work of God. It does not matter if you are a medical doctor, a teacher, a carpenter, a mechanic, a full-time Mom, an engineer... OK, you got it, right? The Word says, "Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24, NLT) The passion of life, the 'one thing' is to know Christ and to make Him known. There are more ways to do that than I could explore in this TFTD, but we all start down that road by redefining the meaning of life to be about our relationship with God. We take Him from Sunday morning, from our private devotional thoughts, with us into the world. We learn to be in conversation with the Holy Spirit, all the time, everywhere, about everything!

It honors God if, when others think of us, the next thought is Jesus! When the mention of the name "Jerry Scott" is made, I hope that I have lived in such a way that one of descriptive phrases others would use about me is: "He is God's man!" No, not because I am especially pious. I'm not! No, not because I am a part of the professional clergy with the honorific title of "Rev." I've met quite a few "Revs." who earn their living in church work, but who I would not describe as belonging to God! Lord, help me to be different, I pray. I want other to think of Jesus because they see a deep and profound love for Him in my words and actions. I desire that it would be obvious that I live to know and serve Him. What and/or who we esteem and love is quickly evident. My friend Jake loves guitar music. You don't have to be with him long to realize that. My Dad loves kids, something you know within minutes of meeting him. What are you passionate about? Anything? Or are you just letting life drift by without digging in to find the joy of being passionate about something?

Know this. If you're passionate about God, not everyone will applaud! People who are passionate about something in life are hard to be around because they turn into fanatics. In the new movie, Freedom Writers, in which Hillary Swank, tells the story of Erin Gruwell, a young teacher who became passionate about reaching those urban kids that the educational system no longer cared about, we see that. Erin's life was defined by her love for those kids, to the extent that she took extra jobs so she could afford to buy them books and take them on trips. Her husband divorced her because he couldn't stand her intensity. The emptiness of his own life was made even more evident by the fullness she found in loving her students. (See it! It is worth the money. It's not a Christian film, but the story inspires.)

That's the way it ought to be in our lives in the way we love God. Love for Him, which finds expressions in so many ways, should be our central passion! Not everyone will appreciate the passion. Some will find us unpleasant to be around, not because we are preachy, but because the high quality of life we live for God makes their pursuit of money, sex, fame, or pleasure all the more evidently meaningless! Here's what the Word says about this. "... you died, (to self-centeredness) and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory..." (Colossians 3:2-12, NIV)

Are you God's own?

"So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you:

Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)