Wholly Devoted

I walk through the mall, or in the supermarket, or on a crowded street, all the while searching through a sea of faces, and searching for one person to make eye contact with me. If I find eyes to connect with, I smile, and am blessed by the occasional grin or greeting. In a world where everything is at our fingertips, our society is wading through the mindless hurry, and drowning in thousands of messages shared daily. We struggle to connect one-to-one, but instead cling to the false promise that we will find joy and success if we: attain more, improve what we are doing, become smarter, more beautiful, more slender, wealthier, more famous,  have a more successful portfolio for retirement, are more influential… Failing to meet the bar of success at each new level attained, we finally ask, “What is it worth?" At what cost do we live our lives seeking the things of the world? 

 The television and the tabloids are filled with images of who is successful in our society. The model defined as gorgeous, but who is suffering from an eating disorder. She is devoted, succeeding, and withering away. The musician defined as talented, earning millions, and pictured as the life of the party. He is devoted, excelling, and keeping up with the demands of the industry with a drug addiction. Each is devoted to a cause, a profession, a passion. And just like us, each one holds his head up with pride, dedication, and the hope that they will finally be enough. Each yearning to reach the bar of success, and at the end, be happy. The evidence of our culture’s lack of hope is all around us. We try to discover hope in the many things the world has to offer. These offerings may bring temporary enjoyment, but in the end they will come up empty.

 As I reflect on my devotions in life, where my time, energy, money, and talents are spent, I am left with a lingering question. What am I placing my hope in? Is my hope found in the false promises of this world, or in the devotion to something much greater?

In Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, Solomon wrote: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind“. Solomon had accumulated great wealth, power, and wisdom; everything the world had to offer, yet he came to hate all that he lived for.

Solomon could be compared to Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, billionaires who spent the first chapter of their lives accumulating wealth. After years of accumulating wealth and luxury, they have realized it is worth little, and now are committed to giving it away. Devotion.

 As I compare a life which is lived pursuing the things of this world, to that which is lived devoted to God, seeking to know Him more and to glorify Him, I see the devoted life brings purpose and joy. I found this true in my own life. I tried to find significance and value in accomplishments, education, and relationships, but instead grew more empty. The things of this world could not fill the void which was within me. They were only counterfeit ways in which I tried to meet my unmet needs. 

After years of drowning in the sea of mixed messages, I found salvation through Jesus Christ. I exchanged the temporary fixes of this world for Him. I received His love, forgiveness, and His Holy Spirit to live in me eternally. My heart began to delight in living devoted to Him.

 As we submit our broken lives, our dreams, and our humble offerings to Him, He transforms us from the inside out. He accomplishes more through us in His power than we could ever dream or ask for on our own; and there is nothing better, more purposeful, or more fulfilling than to be used by God!

The world sparkles with glamour, and although false, it has the ability to pull our focus and devotion towards it. I have found that as followers of Christ, we can come against what the culture says is ok and what is not ok, through the promises found in the Bible. I have found that I need to spend time in Bible study and prayer daily. It is as important as needing air to breathe and water to sustain life! I learned that for me to stay focused, I need to turn off the phone and to journal what is on my mind and my prayers to Him, thereby combating distractions. Left to myself, I am capable of being drawn away.

 To live a life devoted to Jesus, is true life. As I look into the faces in a crowd, I wish to share this joy and life with them through a smile. Maybe one day someone will stop me and ask me why I smile, and the reason for my hope. I will be ready to share with them my answer.  (1Peter 3:15)

Living Fully In 2014

A new year is upon us! I love when a new year rolls around. It is a great time to evaluate the prior year, and to reflect on the things that worked well, as well as the things that did not. It is our opportunity to consider what needs addressing, areas in our life that need strengthening, and a time to consider what we want to let go of. A new year is a wonderful place to begin again; our opportunity for a “do-over”. It is somewhat reminiscent of the gift of our salvation experience…an opportunity to be born again. All the old has passed away and everything is made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I love that God, in all His goodness, set up our salvation this way. I often consider my past - everything I was rescued out of; my bad choices and attitudes; all I am forgiven of; and all He has made new in my life. The word of God compares those who return to their former way of life as a “dog returning to his vomit.” (Proverbs 26:11, 2 Peter 2:22). When reflecting on this, how or why I would ever want to return to my former way of living?

Often as followers of Jesus Christ, our lives reflect more of the world than the difference Jesus can make to those who have come to know Him. Jesus takes us from darkness into light; however, often we continue to wallow in the things of darkness. Jesus sacrificed all He was in order for it to be possible for us to not only live eternally with Him, but to live a life in abundance now. Unfortunately, the American life of abundance may be confused with what the Lord wants for us. We want the comfort and affluent life. But, His promised abundance is the result of giving ourselves away. Sometimes we receive the gift of His sacrificed life, and surrender but only a small part of ourselves in return.

Instead of our lives being transformed into the likeness of Christ, we tweak the message of the Gospel to conform to our lifestyles. We tend to compartmentalize what is His and what is ours. We may attend church and pray once or more each week, but we keep our lifestyle choices, our actions, and the use of our time and resources under our control. We surrender very little to submit to the authority of the Holy Spirit.

It leaves me with many questions. Have we, as the body of Christ, bought into the philosophy of our day? Do we subscribe to the psychology of relativism and all inclusiveness? Have we brought too much of the world into the temple? In soft peddling the Gospel, hoping to not insult anyone, have we weakened the message? The Word says that “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing” (1 Corinthians 1:18). Sometimes, in trying to make the Gospel message more palatable to the un-churched or the non-believer, we share only a partial Gospel message with those who are lost. We teach of Jesus’ love and forgiveness, and leave behind His justice and call to holiness. We make Him our best friend shaped in our image, and leave behind the awe and holy fear that He deserves.

I know in my own life, it was hearing how I had fallen short that convicted me of my sin and need for a Savior. People who are hungry for truth, and who are searching for God, want something that the world does not have to offer. If we have a radical faith, it is a faith that changes lives. There has to be a before and after picture to life in Christ. Then people will be drawn to what we have. They want something to live and die for. They want and need someone…Jesus.

When Jesus healed the sick and brought sight to the blind, He also forgave their sins. His healing and forgiveness would follow with the statement, “go and sin no more” (John 8:4-11). This statement tells me that it is possible to live a holy, sanctified, and set apart life. I have seen the bumper sticker that says “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” Which is only a partially accurate statement. We all have sinned, and when we are born again, we become Saints. We are not perfect, and we sometimes sin; however, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we strive to follow Christ and live as he did. We no longer make a practice of sinning the way we did previous to our salvation.

So when evaluating and reflecting on this past year, how did you do? Who did you live your life for? Are you closer to Jesus or further away than you were the year previous? When looking at your schedule and your bank account from 2013, do they show evidence of a life lived for Kingdom purposes or for this world?

What would it look like to live a life consecrated for Jesus Christ? What are we willing to surrender?

As we look forward to 2014, among our goals and resolutions, might we take the challenge to leave the former life behind? Might we live a life passionate, sold-out, and radical in our love for Jesus and our neighbor? Might we live a life worthy of the sacrifice Christ paid on our behalf?

My prayer is that we live in humility, that we hunger for more of our Savior, and that we desire to be used by Him to further the Gospel message. Everything we gain of the world is worthless compared to the all surpassing treasure of knowing Christ in a personal way. As we live our lives sold-out for Jesus, He will give us a mission, a purpose, and a reason to get up in the morning. We will live abundantly and fully alive! Jesus said the one who has been forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7:36-50). May we love Him fully in 2014!