lay your life down

"The life God has for us is one of abundance. 
It is meant to be full, not repetitive. 
He wants us doing things that have eternal impact. 
He wants us busy expanding his Kingdom in one way or another, today and every day. 
This doesn't mean that every Christian should quit his or her job and move to a foreign country. 
But it does mean that we need to figure out how to make each day count for his purposes." 
Francis Chan. >Follow Me<

It's so easy to start feeling like the world revolves around us. We become self-absorbed and self-focused, feeling like the only important thing each day is OUR plans and OUR jobs and OUR families etc. We need a wake-up call every day, reminding us that if we live this way, we aren't accomplishing what God has in store for us. There is so much more then routine. There is more then church once a week and devotions at the dinner table. There is more then simply knowing of God and believing in God. If your belief in God doesn't change your life completely, then you missed the point. Why?

Because Jesus called us to pick up our cross and lay down our lives for His Kingdom, for His Glory. 

We live in a world where everything revolves around self, "Protect yourself", "promote yourself", "entertain yourself", "comfort yourself", "take care of yourself"... but Jesus says "Slay Yourself!"

Wow! If our lives don't change after claiming to believe in Christ... in the one TRUE GOD, then have our hearts truly believed? "Churches are filled with supposed Christians who seem content to have casual association with Christ while giving nominal adherence to Christianity." >David Platt< That is so true, its scary. But its so wrong; the Bible speaks clearly that many will stand before Him and say "Lord Lord"... but He will say to them, "I never knew you". How do we know that we truly KNOW God and he truly KNOWS us? 

Look at your life. When we look at the life of Jesus, do we discover a path that is worth giving up our own lives for? Our own plans, goals, ambitions, hopes, dreams? Our own money, time, safety? Do we live each day to satisfy our ourselves or do we seek to make each day count for Gods purposes.? Its not just about 'come and hear' every sunday, its about teaching Christians how to 'go and tell', how to fulfill the great commission. 

"Jesus is worthy of far more than intellectual belief, and there is so much more to following him than monotonous spirituality. There is indescribable joy to be found, deep satisfaction to be felt, and an eternal purpose to be fulfilled in dying to ourselves and living for him." >David Platt<

No matter who you are, what you do, where you work, where you live, where you go to church... if you take the title of Christian - if you call yourself a follower of Christ - we cannot just continue on in our patterns and routines. We do what we do FOR God, we give up what we want or what we have FOR God, we put relationships and friendships on the line because their salvation is more important than our reputation. I am no longer my own - but Christ lives within me. What a blessing that is.