God’s been telling me to love my teammates more. Each day at 8:00am we pray, asking the Lord what he wants us to do and where we should go and each morning he’s been telling me to love my teammates and love God. To become intimate with him. Last night I couldn’t find my alarm so I asked God to wake me at 5:00 so I could spend time with him. Well he did, but I went back to sleep.
It reminds me of a lot of worship songs I hear these days with stuff like, Oh God take my hand and lead me deeper into you! and all that. What a waste of time I think! God’s not going to just make you into who you want to be or who he wants you to be with a snap of his finger. It takes work, and a heck of a lot of it. It takes sweat, blood, and tears. It takes a broken heart and a passion that says, “I will not back down no matter what!”
And God will test you to see where your heart is (read Deut. 8:1-2 if you don’t believe me). How many people actually resist the devil when he comes at you with everything he’s got while you’re at your weakest? It’s a shame most people beat themselves up and stay knocked down afterwards. God’s not looking down with condemnation when that happens! The devil is God’s devil and he allows you to be tempted to test you so that he can know where your heart is and build you up thru victories. But it all hinges on our reaction. Will you fight? And when you fail, because you will, will you thank the Lord for your humanity – a prerequisite for salvation – an rely on him?
Everything belongs. Just because we’ve screwed up on one thing once doesn’t mean we might as well do it again. That’s the way the devil had me bound for a long, dark period of my life. What’s the difference if I give in to my temptation again? The differences are time and Kingdom.
As a Christian, I am called to see that God’s Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. I’ve got to “get over my bad self,” as my father says, before I can start that. I’ve got to realize that it’s not about me, that I am a slave to Christ, before he can fully use me. If Satan could’ve kept me bound in sin for another day, that’s another day away from God’s Kingdom being realized in me. If he can create just one or two strongholds in your life, he’s got you. The devil doesn’t care so much that you go to heaven as much as the reason why you are living on earth. If he can distract you, even by heaven, then he’s won. But you become focused on bringing God’s Kingdom to earth, that’s what it’s all about. Making disciples… warriors… fanatics for Christ… Christians.
If you thought Christianity was a game of numbers – get more people into heaven than hell – you’re terribly mistaken. Hell would’ve already won! Jesus says narrow is the road to heaven and few find it. Why are you living? Are you taking back Kingdom? Or are you too busy sitting behind a desk, earning more money, maintaining your relationship with your computer, watching movies, and planning this weekend’s happenings to see that you are the will of God and he is just waiting to use you? Do you think life is just a big wait to get to heaven… and enjoy life as best you can until you die? Man, you don’t know the meaning of enjoy until you’ve lived for the Lord.
“Get busy living or get busy dying.” – Andy Dufresne in Shawshank Redemption
