Change

Lately I have been considering what it means to live a life that embraces the way that God has called us to live, especially in this day and age… I hear this kind of phrase a lot. It almost seems that many of us have come to think and accept that many of the truths of the Bible are not relevant in our society today. We should trust in God but, the economy is bad right now so its ok to put some trust in money or to save a little extra just in case. We should not even allow a hint of sexual immorality in our lives, but that was before we were faced with the pressures and temptations of today’s society so it’s ok to “stretch” that a bit. In a world where anything goes and right and wrong are “personal convictions” that each has with their “personal savior”, how can we figure out how to live? Most of these issues have become touchy subjects, especially in churches. No one wants to talk about it, and you can’t suggest something is wrong with driving a fifty-thousand dollar car or living in a multi-million dollar house because then you are being judgmental, and to a certain extent, I agree. Not that it isn’t wrong, I believe that it is completely wrong, but I can’t say anything because I still have a log in my eye. I don’t have the funds to own a fifty thousand car but my ten-thousand dollar car, or my seventy-dollar t-shirt were just as luxurious to scale.

We are told not to store up treasures on earth, but just what does that really mean? Look around your church (or at yourself), we live in luxury. Sure, maybe you know of someone in your church who has more or a nicer car, or house, or clothes, but does that make it right for us to have what we have? Where is the line, it’s so easy to manipulate passages like the one above calling us to store up riches in heaven to mean whatever makes what we are buying that week “ok”. I think it’s safe to say, that everyone one I know (me included) lives in luxury. I work part-time and make more than 80% of the world, and I can’t even fathom living on the “small” amount I make. Is that a sign that I am rich? That I have too much?

When I encounter these issues, my next question is usually, how can I change? How can I make decisions that are in accordance to what God demands of his followers? I was reading “Crazy Love” earlier and Chan writes,

“But we need to realize that how we spend our time, what our money goes toward, and where we will invest our energy is equivalent to choosing God or rejecting Him… We disgust God when we weigh and compare Him against the things of this world. It makes Him sick when we actually decide those things are better for us than God Himself.”

That really breaks it down pretty simple. The Bible says not to worry about material possession, or to live in luxury. The bible calls that a sin, a sin many of us are living in and see nothing wrong with it. It honestly makes me feel really convicted. It makes me want to change, and I hope that I can. 

A Calling

I was thinking today about people are "called" to serve God in many different ways. Missionaries often explain their willingness to abandon the safety and security of the normal American life (which is quite possibly much more dangerous in terms of eternal security than anywhere they go) to a "calling" and spend their lives in service to those in need around the world. But I was wondering how often God calls and no one answers. It would probably be something like this: Ring.... Ring.... Ring... "Um this is Eric, I can't answer this call right now because I am too busy doing something else" .... Does God leave a voicemail, or maybe he to has noticed that people these days respond more quickly to a text message.

Anyway, with that aside, I wonder for myself, if God called me to serve in some way that didn't fit into my plan or was inconvenient (and I'm not talking about calling me to switch the kind of pop I drink or  or to really suffer and not get that iphone I've been wanting (which sadly, would probably be considered radical christianity in America)  but a call that would change my life and make me explore and encounter new things, would I listen? To use a real-life example, if God called me to go to Africa or (fill in suffering country), would I do it? If I answer truthfully, I'd have to admit, "I'm not sure." I mean I have all these plans for my life and that would not be found in any of them. Would I be willing to give all that up to follow his calling? If I didn't would it be one of those situations where I just wasn't a christian that is cut out for that kind of service, or would I be disobeying God?

In Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love, he talks about "lukewarm christians" and he describes the vast majority of American Christians. The main differences being that we go to church and unbelievers don't. Our lives really don't look any different, if you look at the daily life or 5-year plan of the average christian compared to a non-christian, they wouldn't look much different. We compare ourselves to others in our church, and as long as there is someone who parties more or drives a nicer car or who's kids cuss more or whatever then we feel we are on the right track. We completely forget that the Bible tells us to examine ourselves in comparison to scripture not others around us be it our Pastor or the guy who cuts your hair.

I'll be the first to admit, that I struggle with this. I gauge the purchase of many of my material wants based on what others in my church are doing, if someone else has a nicer one (regardless of what it is) then I feel completely justified in having something similar.

I hope that I can change, I hope that I can evaluate my life based on what the BIBLE says is congruent with someone that is a follower of Jesus and not something that merely is accepted in American Christianity as "enough."

Destiny

There is one thing that will push a man past fear, and that is destiny. Although a quote from the TV show, "Flashforward", this saying seems very true. On the average day, an average fear of mine seems almost too much to confront. It could be anything from making a phone call for a potential job to the constant worry about what the future does or does not hold. What can overcome this? This question indirectly addresses something I have been struggling with for some time now, just how do I find purpose in everyday life? I have come to find something in the last few months as I have been trying to figure this out that is depressing and honestly something I should be warned of in other areas of my life. I spent so much time trying to figure out how find purpose in the average day, complaining, be it internally, that my life was too simple or boring to have meaning everyday. Then suddenly a week had passed... still no feeling of purpose, a month/two months... still no purpose. I think at some point you have to stop searching for a bunch of reasons as to why everyday has a purpose and just start living ON PURPOSE. I don't know, maybe it won't work, but I'm going to try it.

Back to addressing the issue of destiny overcoming fear. When I think about my life, about times when I felt I was really living, when I was willing to put something on the line, to risk something that could leave me hurt or looking stupid or whatever, the reason I was willing to do it was because I felt a sense of destiny. I felt that I was part of something bigger and it didn't matter if I looked stupid to others and I was willing to

FACE A FEAR.

The more I read through the Bible and talk with other people (shout out to the guys that meet on Wednesday night), I see that if we truly are following God, our lives do have a sense of Destiny. I have come to realize, that I DO NOT rely on God in my life, I rely on myself and practical thinking or even chance. I have never been someone who says "praise God for that opportunity" or anything like that when something is pieced together to work out, and that saddens me. When I do that, it's like a slap in the face to God, here he is working behind the scenes, displaying his glory and I shrug it off as chance or a good decision I made. This is me admitting, I have been living wrong, I have been missing the point. I hope I can change, I hope I can see that I am part of something much bigger than me.

As one of my friend's was talking last night he said something that hit me, and it's weird that it did because if I claim to be a christian (which I have for twenty years) I should have this down by now. He said something about how our lives should look different, that others around us should notice something is different about this guy. But I don't think I look much different.

Maybe today, plain, simple, boring today I can show someone how I am different. Maybe today, someone else will see that you are living different by what you say or by how you treat them, and will wonder what it is. Maybe today, the simplest act of kindness will change someone's heart. That is what God has called us to do, it that enough destiny for you?