Are you a wan·na·be?
There are those who desperately
wants to be somebody, but they do not put in the effort to reach their goal. A
fake degree hangs in the office of the guy who did not make it through college.
A made-up record of military service, borrowed stories of true warriors, fills
the mouth of the man on the barstool who wants to impress friends. In Texas,
this person is said to be ‘all hat and no cattle,’ a guy without a ranch who
thinks he’s a cowboy! Some call them wannabes. The dictionary says that a ‘wannabe’ is "a person who aspires
to a role or position, who imitates the behavior, customs, or dress of an
admired person or group." Sometimes they're funny, sometimes pathetic, and
sometimes down- right annoying. At first glance a wannabe is often
indistinguishable from the authentic. The difference quickly becomes obvious in
time. Because he hasn't put in the time learning the skills, getting the
education, and developing the art, he cannot come through in the crunch.
Teens try on all kinds of identities as they are all their way to discovering who they are. Trying on a role, imitating the real thing, may even lead to choosing to become the authentic article. We accept, even smile along with the 13 year old boy who wants to be Tom Brady, the Patriot’s outstanding quarterback. However, a man in his 4th decade of life who is still bragging that he can pass the ball just as well as Brady is a sorry sight, an individual we pity. Why? Because being a wannabe is essentially a fraudulent life. The lack of substance and/or accomplishment leading to pretense erodes his integrity and steals his credibility. The wannabe knows another tragic result - he never finds out who he really is or what he is really capable of doing. Focused on trying to be somebody else, he misses the joy of being who God created him to be, joyfully filling the place in this world that God, through spiritual gifts, experiences, and opportunities, creates just for him.
Here's the direct question - are you a 'for real' Christian or a 'wannabe?'
Have you submitted your life to Christ in full surrender, allowing for a complete transformation of heart and mind OR are you just trying to imitate the lifestyle of a Christian disciple you admire?
The Bible says - "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." (Romans 12:2-3, NLT)
God loves YOU, friend. He has prepared a place for YOU in the Church, that no one else can fill. He has Spiritual gifts prepared for you that will uniquely equip you for that ministry. "God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!" (1 Corinthians 12:6-7, The Message) They are free, provided by Him, but we must accept and develop those gifts, usually a long process, of applying ourselves to the work, with good, mature mentors helping us along.
Teens try on all kinds of identities as they are all their way to discovering who they are. Trying on a role, imitating the real thing, may even lead to choosing to become the authentic article. We accept, even smile along with the 13 year old boy who wants to be Tom Brady, the Patriot’s outstanding quarterback. However, a man in his 4th decade of life who is still bragging that he can pass the ball just as well as Brady is a sorry sight, an individual we pity. Why? Because being a wannabe is essentially a fraudulent life. The lack of substance and/or accomplishment leading to pretense erodes his integrity and steals his credibility. The wannabe knows another tragic result - he never finds out who he really is or what he is really capable of doing. Focused on trying to be somebody else, he misses the joy of being who God created him to be, joyfully filling the place in this world that God, through spiritual gifts, experiences, and opportunities, creates just for him.
Here's the direct question - are you a 'for real' Christian or a 'wannabe?'
Have you submitted your life to Christ in full surrender, allowing for a complete transformation of heart and mind OR are you just trying to imitate the lifestyle of a Christian disciple you admire?
The Bible says - "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you." (Romans 12:2-3, NLT)
God loves YOU, friend. He has prepared a place for YOU in the Church, that no one else can fill. He has Spiritual gifts prepared for you that will uniquely equip you for that ministry. "God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people!" (1 Corinthians 12:6-7, The Message) They are free, provided by Him, but we must accept and develop those gifts, usually a long process, of applying ourselves to the work, with good, mature mentors helping us along.
God won't love you more if you learn
to imitate Mother Theresa or Billy Graham. Truth is, if you take that route,
you will offend Him! He wants you to be you, a unique person with unique
preparations to fill a unique place in this world. Self-acceptance can be
difficult. Looking in the mirror- physically and spiritually - reveals reality which
isn't always pretty. But, we are worthless to God and ourselves until we face
the facts. We can take the imperfections and sins to God and He will transform
us by giving us the Holy Spirit to work in us.
This word from the Word is our assurance
of His work in us. "For by the grace
given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than
you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with
the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with
many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ
we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We
have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is
prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let
him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him
encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give
generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing
mercy, let him do it cheerfully." (Romans 12:3-8, NIV)
Remember this: God doesn't do
'make-overs.' He does transformations. You can be an authentic saint. Live authentically today!
No comments:
Post a Comment