Filling in the little squares

A visit to the Emergency Room with Christian who had injured his wrist in gym class was a lesson for me. What is the mission of an ER? It is to provide medical care in an emergency situation, correct?  Sadly the process has overwhelmed the mission! We had to speak with three people before we even saw a doctor, each repeating the same questions and typing the same information into their computer. The doctor who finally saw us knew immediately that there was no bone break, but she ordered a full set of x-rays anyway, most likely just to cover herself from liability on the remote chance that her diagnosis was wrong. What could have been a 20 minute visit turned into 2.5 hours the process more important than the purpose.

Complexity is the curse of 21^st century. Every system – educational, medical, government, church – is specialized, sub-divided, overloaded with so many expectations that often the mission is lost and people end up thinking that they are ‘doing the job’ because they are filling out forms and reporting statistics.

Are you clear about your mission as a follower of Christ?
Do you live on purpose, each day doing what the Spirit of God has called you to do?
Or, have you become so tangled up in complex processes of religion that you have lost sight of why you became a Christian, to know and serve the living God?

A person filled with the Spirit of God knows his purpose and strives to live it. His passion is not just to ‘meet minimal expectations’ or ‘show up as necessary.’  He loves whole-heartedly, serves unselfishly, listens with an open heart, and is connected to the Head, who is Christ Jesus! When you read and study Scripture do you seek to hear God’s voice through the words, letting them shape the way you live; or are you just making sure you read three chapters a day because ‘that’s what a good Christian does?’  Are your prayers real communication with the Father, authentic and reflecting your heart’s desire, or are they more like greeting card sentiments or ritual incantations that you repeat day after day out of habit?  

The Spirit leads us out of the vanity of religious practice into a vital relationship with our Heavenly Father. Jesus soberly warned of the possibility of becoming so involved in the process that we lose sight of the purpose. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" (Matthew 7:21-23, NIV)  Empty prayers, scrupulous morality, even a stellar church attendance record can never replace knowing God and showing that love with obedience and service.

Here’s the word from the Word today. Ponder the truth in it and should you be letting religious process replace spiritual relationship, repent and return to the purpose to which He calls.

“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. “Which of the two obeyed his father?” They replied, “The first.” Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins." (Matthew 21:28-32, NLT)