The Christian life is not about our life being a succession of one happy day after another. It is not about our comfort or a low-stress lifestyle.
Instead, it is entirely possible that God may want us to leave our comfort zone and embark on a journey of faith. God may lead us towards something which seems impossible for us to accomplish on our own. Usually, that is the point! God, and not us, deserves the all the credit for what is happening. Perhaps He just wants to know whether we will really trust Him. Perhaps He will only reveal the path before us one step at a time. He may place us on a path where we can rarely see what lies over the next hill or around the next corner. At times it may seem like walking alone in the dark with a light that only illuminates the next footstep. But.. God is always right there with us.
The Christian life is not being well thought of by our neighbors.
Your neighbors may think you are narrow-minded. They may think you’re “not very smart” or “intolerant.” They may make fun of you behind your back. “Can you believe that guy? He actually believes that stuff!”
The Christian life is not our ticket to material success in career and life.
We cannot negotiate a contract with God. “Ok God, I agree to worship You and only You. In return, You God will provide me with an above average income and protect me from financial upheaval. Sounds like a fair bargain to me God. Is that a deal?” God is not a
The Christian life is not a way to banish the Devil and his temptation from our life.
In fact, the more we step out in faith to serve God, the more threatening the witness of our life becomes to the Devil. When we allow God to use us for His purposes, we attract the Devil’s attention. We are likely to get more temptation and difficulty than ever before. After all, the Devil doesn’t need not waste his time on us if we live our lives outside of God’s plan for us.
The Christian life is not a one-time event after which nothing more is required of us.
We should not act like we’ve gotten our ticket to heaven and then just wait around to die. God wants us to grow. God wants us to mature. He wants to have a continuous and on-going relationship with Him. He wants us to enjoy the time we spend with Him in prayer and Bible study. When prompted by the Holy Spirit, He wants us to be willing to step out in faith without having to know the final outcome ahead of time. He wants us to be willing to take chances to serve Him.
The Christian life is not about getting God’s blessing on our plans and the choices we’ve already made.
It is more about asking God to reveal what plans He has for us and asking that He equip us for those plans of His. It is more about being willing to alter our plans to align them with God’s plans. It is more about asking for His guidance so that we make our choices according to His will... and seeking His guidance prior to making the decision.
Copyright © 2005 by Philip Hartman - All Rights Reserved
2 comments:
Right on point. This is good stuff. The first statement about God wanting us out of a comfort zone strikes home. I just heard in person and read Bruce Wilkinson's book Dream Giver. Your statement could have come right out of that book.
Site looks great. You're doing good work.
Jeff,
I appreciate your comment. Thanks! I like Bruce Wilkinson's books though I have not heard of that one.
Post a Comment