"We should be living to prove Jesus is more precious than life."

Chapter 7

"We should be living to prove Jesus is more precious than life." 

What we have here is a clash of the titans between living our lives in a way that shows our hope in Christ or living a life that shows our hope in ourselves. Chasing after more money, more security, more comfort, more safety, more relationships, more love etc. doesn't exactly scream "I am dependent on my Father for all things and obedient in all things".

But is any of that really, when we get down to it, related to our hope and love for Christ?

Do our everyday actions and reactions really show our neighbors, friends and family that we have something so extraordinary that they wouldn't dare miss out on?

We need to be challenged to prevent our efforts at keeping ourselves self-sufficient and independent from interfering in our faith and hope in God.

I know that I have chosen the American dream time and time again. I have no excuse. I know the Bible. I know its call for a mad, passionate life for God and nothing else. It's so easy to find comfort in busy-ness, family and taking care of others (just to name a few) while putting God on the shelf with the Bible until the next religious event. I do this more often than I would like to admit. No matter how free we are, this side of heaven we will deal with sin in our lives. Sin is an opportunity to humble ourselves, repent and receive God's amazing grace over and over because his mercy endures forever. This isn't an excuse to go off the deep end sinning. It is an quite an encouragement to know that no matter what is going on in our lives God grace is more than capable to lead and guide us to himself where there is hope and love despite your mistakes. 

What is the thing in your life that keeps you from experiencing a deeper relationship with God and expressing it to the world in some way? Entertainment, fun, attention, work, success, appreciation, busy-ness, helping, family etc. Anything that prevents us from following God from the core of our being is an idol that prevents us from following God wholeheartedly and making an impact on those around us for the kingdom of God as we should. 

Think about it: When you have a spare moment and you could spend it with God in some way (prayer, fasting, bible study, memorization, journaling, singing, quiet time--whatever suits you) but you pick up a movie, a magazine, a book, the phone, the remote, the dog, the vacuum, the car keys, a kid instead. I am a firm believer that our flesh would rather wash out dirty cloth diapers than spend time with God. It is a fight to not "waste our lives" on ourselves. We need to be aware and begin to fight harder than we do to keep food on our table, the bills paid, our friends happy, and the kids safe to know and do the will of God.

The recommendation is not to quit work and join a monastery. It is to start to purposely work to better focus on God while doing what must be done and make the necessary changes to set our priorities more toward God than toward ourselves. It will not be easy but it will be worth it and will prevent a wasted life. The wonderful benefit of allowing God to lead you and help you grow in your faith is that other will notice. I am a firm believer that people in the world don't need to see a perfect life. They need to see a real life. Real struggles, hopes and dreams but guided by a mad passionate love for Christ and they will be curious.