Yes, it's been ages. Haha, but at last I've remembered that I HAVE a blog! Today has been blessed. A renewed spark and hunger for really living into the Christian life has risen up in me. And I'm thrilled. Not a "I-feel-so-emotionally-driven-to-pursue-God" type feeling, but a "LIFE with Him is so WORTH IT" type motivation. If I don't strive to live for Christ and according to His ways, I'm not living. I'm walking without purpose, without power. The average, ordinary, every-day life is meant to be dynamic when we LIVE according to Christ, empowered by the REAL and ACTIVE Holy Spirit, and with our eyes focused on pleasing our loving Father.
I began listening to Francis Chan's Forgotten God, a book on the Holy Spirit in the Christian life today. It really spoke to me. How often do I live the Christian life in my head, packed with knowledge and good intentions? But the pursuit and intended life as a believer is intended to be put into action. Always. It is daily committment, living out Truth and the depths of Scriptures. My new life in Christ should look vastly different than my old life, lived apart from Him. Does my life today look differently than one who does not know or love the Lord? If not, we have a serious problem.
We are aliens in the world, foreigners, as earth is not our eternal home. Scripture says that we are not citizens of this world, but of heaven, living into greater purpose than our average 80 years (or how many is average) on earth. Do we really believe, then, that our life has greater purpose than personal pleasure? Success? The world's approval? Etc? Why, then, are we so quick to live like "it's all over anyway" when we die? If we look through the lens of the Lord, we realize that so much of what the world considers valuable is temporary. Stuff rusts, breaks, gets lost. Even something more abstract, like fame. It's so fickle.
So let's consider, what IS important? What lasts? What is worth our time, effort, and energy? Wouldn't it be reasonable to think that if life DOES last forever (you either spend eternity after you die with God [heaven] or without God [hell]), which life would you like to work toward: the life that lives with a vision of what is beyond just our earthly time (literally, our brains have such a tough time with this concept, but, it's real) or the life that lasts 80 years out of infinity (80/100000000000000000...)? Hm, the question seems to answer itself.
Am I saying our lives on earth have no purpose? Absolutely not. I'm saying quite the opposite. Our lives on earth have more purpose than we often realize. And that's the kicker. Our purpose isn't just to get by, to do well, and to feel good most of the time. The question is, do you believe your life has purpose? And if you do, are you living like it? Do you find your purpose within the Truth? Or do you clumsily stumble outside of it, finding "life" elsewhere? It's easy to do. That's why I ask. Where is your focus? Your heart and mind reflect who and what you're living for.
Bam-de-bam, what I'm saying is, I want to know God in this life and fall madly in love with Him, consumed and devoted, no matter how I "feel," because my love for him-not just passionate love, but COMMITTED love-has taught me that He has become eternal devotion.
Once upon a time I took a Psychology class. One thing has always stuck in my brain: with humans, there's passionate love and committment love. Passionate love is what attracts you to someone and the gushy feelings that you have. Your thoughts are consumed by that "special someone" and you can't help it! You smile and blush when someone says their name. You feel like you could love them forever. A lot of passionate love is based on feelings. However, this type of love is not long-lasting. You decide to remain devoted or go find another "new" someone who can give you the same sensation. However, the reality is that this passionate love can become a decision to remain committed because you have grown to know and have chosen to be devoted to him or her, not because you always feel like loving, not because you still blush when someone mentions his or her name, but because you have grown to know your loved one and have decided to be at his or her side through thick and thin, being a servant, and living to bring him or her utmost pleasure.
THIS, my friends, is the picture we often see with God. So often we fall into so-so passionate love and fail to truly live committed. We don't feel like loving God, so we don't. We don't feel like pursuing Him and showing our devotion when our gushy sensations are gone. Are we committed? Or are we emotional? Devotion and emotion aren't the same. They can coincide, certainly, but a committed life for God does not depend on if our human emotions match up to the Truth and our decision to follow Him.
Are you a passionate lover? Embrace the glorious romance! But are you committed to Him? Essential. Remain in Him, for that is life.
[Galatians 5:22, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."]
