I have spent a lot of time thinking mostly about the future. For a long time I have had a plan in my mind about how my future was going to work out. As you who are older and/or wiser than me know, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.†This has been a hard experience but it has also been a very healthy one.
It was good to step back and take a look at life after the future I thought was so certain, vanished. I realized that God was simply a part of my plan and that ultimately I was still living life for myself. I wanted to live out my life how I had planned it and I essentially told God that He could come along for the ride, because I wanted some of Him in my life. I realized though that it’s not my party, it’s Gods and He is fully in control of every situation.
A thousand times I have made idols out of anything and everything in my life and a thousand times they have failed me. Every time I turn away from God, I mock His power; yet every time He welcomes me with open arms when my ways fail. I’m so undeserving of His grace but He sent His son to take the brutal punishment for my stupidity. I am an undeserving wretch yet the Creator of the Heavens and the earth loves me more than I will ever imagine.
I now realize that I am not in control, God is and He has a bigger and better plan for me than I could ever imagine. I am fully going to devote the rest of my days to His purpose and plan. I don’t know where that will take me or what that will look like, but that’s okay. I have been trying to figure out what a true Christian life looks like in today’s culture, I know at its core it involves sharing the love of Christ to those around me and making more disciples to do the same.
I think that we all feel like the Church has lost some of its effectiveness and we feel safe and comfortable because we can support ourselves. We don’t need God in order to get our next meal and we have stored up resources to provide after we retire. Instead of whining and complaining about “the system†it’s up to each one of us to truly make a difference, to live fully devoted to God.
What does that look like in our safe North American culture? Perhaps downsizing your house so that you can give the money to those who really need it. Maybe it means quitting your high-paying job to go do missions overseas. I know that these ideas make us feel so uncomfortable and right now you’re probably thinking of a million excuses as to why you need what you have. The hard truth is when you die you will have to face up to your actions.
God will ask you what you did with the resources (time, money, etc) He gave you and you will have to give Him an answer. Is a lukewarm Christian saved? Read Revelation 3:14-22 and decide for yourself. I know that there are many verses that guarantee salvation but that is only to those who are true believers, what does the life of a true believer look like? Just some things to think about…
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44
2 thoughts on “Everything’s A Little Blurry”
Thanks for being a blessing. We just had a series of studies at church about the Mysteries of the Kingdom which was interesting and paired with this, I’m reminded of what I should be living for.
This is very timely. I have a lot of discussions about this topic. It baffles me sometimes when I get a negative response from fellow Christians, but I understand why they are in the state that they are in. It’s everything that you stated in your 3rd paragraph. Thanks for writing from the heart.