(This makes me smile:):) )
I know where I’m going, but I don’t have some secret special life plan.
I’m not “following my dream” or letting me “heart lead me”. I’m not following the path to my destiny. I’m not naturally a decisive person. I rarely even know what I want to eat. How in the world would I know what the end of my life should look like when I don’t know what to wear today?
Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to know the end of my story; I’m like the ultimate planner, goal-setter, list-crosser-offer. By the way I live, people often make the mistake of thinking I know where this train of life is taking me. Here’s my secret…
The answer to why I do what I do and live how I live isn’t in some special knowledge or compelling feeling, rather it’s dictated to me by the framework of my life.
You see, I see the world through one lens, and that doctrine drives my life and requires of me all that I am. It’s stronger than reason, feelings, and even my own desires. Ironically, it’s in a loss of control, that I have found a life of freedom and adventure.
It’s what the Gospel requires of me.
Worship and Awe.
The Gospel message is so beautiful. It’s so personal. It moves a person right down to their core. The Gospel satisfies all the longings of my heart for love and significance. God’s love is so unbelievably passionate and sacrificial. Every time I hear about it, it’s never old. It still makes me cry. It still moves my heart.
This is why I follow Jesus. This is why He is the center of my affections. My life is my offering of worship. Therefore, it’s with great joy and out of love for Him that I live each day.
How does this effect my life?
Decisions, goals, and future aspirations only matter to me if they bring glory and worship to my God. This helps me make good decisions, hard decisions, and ignore things that really don’t meet my objective.
Willingness.
“It was for the joy set before Him that He endured the cross…”
Jesus willingly endured discomfort, pain, suffering, and every human emotion for me and for you. He was willing. Willing to follow the wishes of His Father in heaven. Willing to walk in a place of faith and dependency on His Father. Willing to live His life for a greater cause.
So often, we do not live our lives from a place of willingness. But when the Gospel really penetrated my heart, I became unbelievably thankful. And it was was from that place of gratefulness, that I became willing. I am willing to give up all things, including control, because of what Christ has done for me. The unbelievable reality of living willingly out of control and in faith is that you find in that God is always good. His love for me and for you always gives us a good, fulfilling life.
A loss of comfort.
The Gospel requires that we loose the ability to be comfortable. As humans, and especially Americans, we worship being comfortable. The idea of comfort may differ from person to person, but ultimately it’s our goal in life, our object of hope, our personal “savior”.
Why does this change because of the Gospel?
It changes because you experience a true and greater Savior! This Savior satisfies much more than comfort does. Because He gave up all comfort as God and became a man, we can draw near to Him. It is in that place that we are filled with love, significance, and purpose. Suddenly, comfort in life just seems like a cheap substitute for what is found in Jesus.
This has drastic implications on my life. I’m emboldened to live a life that in not merely afraid of loosing something, rather I am free to live a life of faith running after something much greater.
A motive of love.
The thing that motivates your life ultimately drives and steers it. Many people struggle with motivation in life. Often, I see it two ways:
1. They don’t know what motivates them, or their motive changes depending on how they feel. These people often feel stuck, indecisive, and unsure. Many times these people spend a lot of time trying to please other people. Sometimes they convince themselves that it’s out of love, but really it’s to receive a good feeling of acceptance from that person. (I was this person, fo sho.)
2. This person is genuinely motivated out of what they can get out of life. Deep down inside they feel like they are failing, and they use it to drive them harder in life. They chase a carrot that never makes them feel good for long, and at the end of the day they are always wishing and hoping for more out of situations, people, and life.
The Gospel can and will change the way you are motivated in life. The love of Jesus ruined me. When I really understood how much God loved me, I lost the ability to really enjoy living for me. His love made me love Him, as well as, naturally and genuinely love other people too.
True love doesn’t expect or need anything in return, so when I love God it isn’t because I’m afraid to not love Him. I love Him because I love Him. It’s such a wonderful, fulfilling way to live. It changes my perception on my life and the people in my life. It’s no longer about what I do, but how I love.
A desire for redemption.
This history of humanity is about redemption. The mission of God from the beginning to the end of time is redemption. The Gospel is not just the story in a few chapters of the Bible about Jesus dying. It’s from the beginning of sin until He comes again one day. Our hearts are longing for this work to be complete. The world and creation longs for death to be no more. God’s mission on this earth is redemption.
When your heart is redeemed, made new, made whole because of faith in Christ, you now have the opportunity to be a part of the only thing that matter in this life. The desire for redemption is birthed in your heart. Truly redeemed people have a desire to see people experience the love, grace, and wholeness that comes with a relationship with Jesus. We want to see sick people well, broken people healed, lost people found, and empty people full of love. The Gospel gives you a mission of redemption. The Gospel gives you true purpose to live.
awhitestoneblog
