99% of the time I love my vocation which is to serve a local congregation as their pastor. Nobody has to bribe me to get me to work. No one has to threaten me to get me to produce. If I could, I would do what I do without being paid. Why? Because my heart is in this; it's my life. I believe in the Church, that she holds the key to making a better world and the answer to the spiritual hunger of every human being. I have a passion for the Gospel of Christ. If you talk with me for more than a few moments, you're going to hear about two things- my family and the church! Because those loves are deep in my heart, they surface quickly in my conversation. By way of contrast. I know many who dread going to work every morning, dragging their feet all the way and living for the weekend. They work just for the money! I do hope that your daily work is about something you love and believe in, but that's not the main point of this TFTD.
- Why are you a Christian?
- How do you serve Christ and His kingdom?
Some people's Christianity is primarily focused on getting to Heaven and keeping out of trouble with God. Dallas Willard says, "Some Christians are better prepared to die than they are to live!" Their faith is not shaped around loving Jesus Christ nor do they really have a heart-deep conviction that the purpose of life is found in knowing Jesus. But they do believe that Eternity is real and that God exists so.... they participate in Christianity at a minimal level hoping to appease God and escape Judgment. The tragic truth about this kind of spirituality is that it robs that person of joy in both worlds! They do not get to enjoy making money, seeking pleasure, and feeding their sensual appetites because they afraid of offending the Lord, and they don't enjoy a close walk with the Spirit of God because they are unwilling to completely surrender to Him.
More than once I have counseled with those who are torn between the desire to do their own thing and their knowledge of God's way. They try desperately to keep a foot in each world, living sinfully and sensually and then pleading with God for forgiveness. The roller coaster of guilt and relief nearly drives them mad! My advice is simple - "Choose now!" Get your heart into one place or the other, but do not attempt to straddle the fence! That's what Joshua advised the nation of Israel, too. “Honor the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”" (Joshua 24:14-15, NLT)
This challenge to choose is one that recurs again and again in the Bible. Moses, in his final address to Israel, laid out the 'blessings' and 'curses.' That sermon which is recorded in the ending chapters of Deuteronomy are an interesting study in choice and consequence! Elijah stood before the king and leaders of Israel at Mt. Carmel and threw down this challenge - “How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal (a god worshipped by the Canaanite people), follow him. Make up your minds!” (1 Kings 18:21, The Message)
Believer, get your heart into it. Choose God. Make Him first - in your affections, in your priorities of time use, in your finances. Love for God is not just about warm, fuzzy emotions that we feel in those occasional times of high worship, or at a beautiful sunset, or... whatever. Love for God is about our daily choices. Our hearts will follow our choice. IF we choose Him, place our affections on Him, we will find great joy in the offering of ourselves. His love will grow in us.
Here's a word from the Word to ponder today - Jesus says, “Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." (Revelation 3:20, NLT) What's your choice?
__________________________
This is the air I breathe,
This is the air I breathe,
Your Holy Presence living in me.
This is my Daily Bread,
This is my Daily Bread,
Your very word spoken to me.
And I, I'm desp'rate for You.
And I, I'm lost without You.
© 1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services) CCLI License No. 810055
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