Throughout my life I have gotten very good at doing things. Whether it's going to church, singing in the choir, completing a bible drill, memorizing Scripture, going on mission trips around the world, serving the church, serving the poor, or preaching The Word. There's not a thing wrong with doing these things, in fact I think every Christian should do some if not all of those things. But what I'm learning is that there is something of far more importance than doing things.
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." – Ephesians 5:1-2
God is far more concerned that we BE his imitators as opposed to just doing things.
Simply because many, if not all, of the stuff that Christians do can be done without God.
Its all too easy to get caught in the trap of doing things and loose sight of who were doing it for. It can quickly escalate into doing things in order to mark them off the checklist, or even worse doing them so others will view us as "the good Christian."
When I get to Heaven God isn't going to have a clipboard and ask me which things I completed, because that would be too easy to do in my own strength. Instead, the only thing that determines whether I enter heaven is if when God looks at me he sees Jesus. No pressure though because all I have to do in order for God to see Jesus when he looks at me is to accept the sacrifice Jesus made on my behalf.
I'm convinced that Jesus didn't lay down his life just so that my final address would be heaven instead of hell. While that's indeed a great part of it, I believe he intended for the words in John 3:16 to come to fruition right here on earth.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." -John 3:16
Eternal life starts the moment Jesus comes in my heart. Therefore my goal on earth should be the same as my goal in heaven: to look like Jesus as opposed to looking like Shelby.
I don't want to look like Shelby or to point people towards me through my works because I cant save a soul. Jesus is the only one who saves people, redeems people, reconciles relationships, and offers hope to people. He's who I want my life to point towards.
Pointing my life towards him involves a whole lot less doing and a whole lot more seeking him in every moment. And the beautiful part of doing less and walking more into my identity in Him is that seeking Him involves working and doing, but because my eyes are on him I don't even realize it.
Abba's challenge to me and you is this: put down the checklist, stop doing pointless things, and point others to Him by being who he called us to be. Imitate him by getting to know how he loves us and then replicating that to all those we come in contact with.
Check in next week to read part 2: the importance of knowing who it is I'm supposed to imitate!
