I was reading in Luke today, and something struck me that I need to share. I was reading Zechariah’s prophecy at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. In that passage, Zechariah praises God for rising up a ¡°horn of salvation,¡± which He will do with the forthcoming birth of Jesus. But in praising God, Zechariah lists among the reasons God is bring Christ into the world the following:
“¡to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.¡± –Luke 1:72-75
The words that caught my eye are, ¡°to enable us to serve Him without fear.¡± Jesus came so that we might
serve God, not so we might enjoy Him, or so we might get everything out of Him we can, or to give us happy and safe lives.
The picture painted by these words is one of a servant whose life is not his own; to live at the beck and call of the Master, and to live out this lifestyle in the holiness and righteousness made available to us only through Christ.
I feel like so many of the believers I know are content to accept the righteousness part for themselves, and to try to do the holiness part when it’s not too hard and doesn’t demand too much. But to turn over our very lives to God, to say, “Not my will, but Yours be done,” is a little more than most believers are willing to do.
Katherine’s latest post hits this point right on the head. Her challenge is a real one. If God called you to sell your house, quit your job, and move to China to serve Him, would you do it?
Really now, would you?
Would you even hear His voice if He called you, or would it be drowned out by the business, the obligations, the hubbub of everyday life?
My friends, the time has come for us to stop and question why we are even living ¡°everyday lives¡± in the first place. God’s goal is not to help you
survive the rat race. His goal is to help you leave the rat race behind.
Let us put first things first for a change. Let’s be more concerned with God’s glory than our own comfort and safety. Let’s pour out our hearts, our souls, and our very lives in the service of our Lord.
It’s more than a challenge. It’s what we were made for.
