There is something to be said of this culture, this age, this time in which we live.
It is a time where everyone is out to get more, to look out for "number one", to reach selfish goals and monetary "accomplishments".
We live in a time where humility is uncommon and selflessness unheard of.
With the world bombarding us with earthly desires everywhere we look, someone with the title "christian" hardly looks any different from the world. After all the word christian means "one like Christ."
I was once asked if there was anyone I could think of who was so different from the world that they stood out to me. Someone who resembled Christ and literally lived out the gospel. Someone who was so opposite of the world that it was noticeable even in the mundane of their lives.
To be 100% honest with you, I could think of possibly two or three people who exhibited how the gospel transformed their lives so much that I could just SEE Christ shining through them in the everyday and the mundane. Yet the crazy, inconceivable thing is that almost everyone I know claims to be a christian. pretty devastating, huh?
I am NOT saying that all these other people who claim to be christians are not. I am definitely not saying that by any means. I want to get that message clear. I also want to point out that I am so far from perfect. I am the worst of sinners. I am so aware of my sinful nature and selfishness that it brings me to my knees every single morning as I spend my first waking moments with Him. But I truly feel that God has called me to be a voice, even if it only reaches a few people through this blog.
This is what He has taught me: there is a gigantic problem with the way we live our lives as Christ followers, especially in America.
In this country we live in our own little bubble with our own little religion that we have twisted to make comfortable with our standard of life. For most of us, we are not suffering for the gospel, making it our daily goal to tell everyone we know about Jesus, or opening up our lives to anyone and everyone. I would go so far as to say that most of us are not praying for Christ to return because we are comfortable with our lives here.
We like to be comfortable.
Seriously think about it. We drive nice, expensive cars, live in nice expensive houses, have all our toys and gadgets, waste our time on social media, go to fancy expensive restaurants, and then relax on the couch after such a "hard" day. And we say we base our lives off the gospel?? That is a pretty big stretch considering that Christ came in riding on a donkey instead of a royal steed , (John 12:14), said He had nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20), He instructed us not to collect stuff here on earth (Matthew 6:19-20), He calls us to be alert for the cause of the gospel and not be idle (2 Thessalonians 3:11), and He calls us to not waste our lives on ourselves, but rather pour into others every chance we get (Luke 17:33).
I'm not saying that all of this luxury is bad, however I am saying that we as a church need to stop and evaluate every aspect of our lives and consider how it is glorifying Christ Jesus, our Lord. And if something is not glorifying Him, to get rid of it.
Colossians 1:10 says "walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."
Would you honestly be able to say that you are walking in a manner WORTHY of the Lord? that you are spending yourself for the sake of the gospel? That you are not idly walking through this life, but rather aware and active in pursuing the things God has called you to? Would you say that you are spending your finances in a way that furthers the kingdom? or your comfort? Is most of your time spent on social media, watching tv, surfing the web, or is your time spent mostly investing in the people around you, discipling, and studying scripture by hiding it in your heart?
This world is heavily heavily influenced by the prince of this world, satan, and now more than ever. Technology has made rapid change and information is at the touch of your fingertips. Sin has become the norm and even idolized by the media. I know many already know all of this, but hear me out.
It is SO easy to get caught up in this world. With the television shows, the music played on the radio, every form of social media, even the magazines in the checkout lane at the grocery stores. The world bombards us with sin that has been made the "norm" in our culture. From divorce, to adultery, to gossip, to gluttony, to buying more stuff, etc etc. I could go on and on. And we as a culture are accepting it and even idolizing it!
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15
Wherever we spend most of our time is what we will eventually become. If we spend more time on social media, watching television, or reading magazines than we spend time with our Savior, we will become more like the world than like Christ. So how much time do you spend with the world? And how much time do you spend with Christ? That is the real question.
For me personally, I spent much more of my time with the world. But James 4:4 says "You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity towards God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
I did not intentionally become a friend of the world. However, I did like everything it offered me. I loved the social media and keeping up with everyone, however it made me judgmental of myself and everyone around me. It also made me keep to myself. Why ask someone about their week when I already knew all about it? It weakened my personal relationships with people. I also loved how the world offered me my own glory. I don't think I was aware of this till God saved me, but I loved having all the glory come to myself. And that is all satan's doing my friend. It made me prideful, and that was honestly the hardest thing for me to get over when I became a Christ follower---myself. The world also offered me stuff. I am not a big "stuff" person and I never have been. But as I have gotten older, I have recognized a few things in my life that would be hard for me to get rid of if God asked me to.
But here's the thing...He did ask me to. I told him I wanted more of Him and He plain as day showed me that I have idols in my life. 2 actually. My pride and my social media. He showed me that I couldn't serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). But rather ONLY HIM.
It was hard to realize just how much I had been living for myself. But when I gave up social media, He took hold of my heart. Never in my life have I ever experienced God like I have this past month. He has softened me. Given me ears to hear when He is speaking to me. Given me eyes to see where He wants me to serve and to see who is hurting. He has given me a mouth that is no longer timid to share the gospel or to use it as my spiritual sword to cut down the schemes of the devil(Ephesians 6:17). Each day he has been chipping away at my heart, shaping me into the woman He desires me to be. He is breaking down the pride that has been stored up so long inside and I can honestly say that HE is the King of my heart, and nothing at all comes before Him.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 says to "reject every form of evil." To me, that sure seems like a whole lot of rejecting. But it is the cost of following Jesus, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
So friend, what would you say is shaping your life? The world, your own selfish desires, or the Word of the Lord? Do you find yourself loving the things of the world more than you love the things of Christ?
"Set your mind on things above, and not on earthly things." - Colossians 3:2
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