Looking back on my life three or four years, I see a very
different me. Outwardly maybe the changes aren’t that much. Even the things
that I enjoy and do aren’t that different. But there are things at the very
core of what defines me that are different.
From my observation, and experience, American Christianity teaches
us to compartmentalize our lives. There is the God part, the work part, and the
play part. None of them really have to intermingle to be accepted. The work is
done for support, the play is done cuz it’s awesome, and the God stuff is done
cuz that’s what he wants. right? When I lived this life I found that there was
something desperately lacking…..
Batman said, “It’s not who I am, but what I do that defines
me.” I couldn’t disagree more.
“What is God’s will for my life”? I have asked this question
a hundred times. And I’ve had a hundred people ask me how to find the answer to
it. Under God’s new covenant with man, the spotlight has been shifted from
actions and behavior, to love and relationship. These two are completely
intermingled. To talk about one and not the other would be pointless. We are no
longer condemned or justified by the law, therefore our actions and deeds are
not the defining factors in our lives, its love and relationship. But if we say
that we have that love, and what we do doesn’t reflect it, we make ourselves a
liar.
Romans 12………. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God’s will is”…………. I’m still trying to figure out what all
this looks like practically in my life, but I can say that this verse is true. The
more I fall in love with God and allow my mind to be transformed, the more I
learn about the nature of God. He becomes more of a person. People that you know
don’t always have to tell you things. You already know because you know them. Love
holds you to a higher standard of living than rules do. It requires you to be
more intentional in the way you live. The more you pursue God’s heart, the more
the things you do reflect the nature of God. It’s a natural reaction.
I’m writing about these things because of a desire for them
in my heart. And I’m writing them because I see people asking God the question
of his will for their lives, but are content to keep him in his compartment. I
write this for what I want to be. This is an “all in” hand, and God help me I’m
playing it…………………. MT
