BECOMING MORE! Why yes! Should not that be the cry of God’s people
today? Not, “having more” – but
“becoming more!” In the world there’s
definitely ample advertising for how to become more: “do the 21-day fix … and your flab will be
fixed”; “never leave home without your American Express card” … then you can
buy whatever you want”; purchase Apple products … and you will “think
different”; watch ESPN … and you will “miss nothing”; wear Nike shoes … and you
will be able to “just do it”; buy a BMW … then you will own “the ultimate
driving machine”; choose LG appliances … and you can say “life’s good”; need to
ship something – just pick DHL … with them you can “move the world”; invest in
DeBeers jewelry … and you can tell her that “a diamond is forever!” Successful slogans that helped make these
companies even more successful – why?
Because a lot of people believed the slogans – or at least, they wanted
to. Thousands upon thousands of these
shoppers believed a slogan could/would change their life. They soon found out the deceit of it
all. Without genuine commitment and
dedication to the right dream with the right purpose, and without help from the
right Person – it is all fleeting. The
slogans go up in smoke. The changes for
the better seem to plateau and then take a nose-dive. The products break or rust or wear out. The promises don’t deliver. The diamond might last forever – but the marriage
doesn’t. Think about all this for a
moment. Sound familiar? Add into this mix the highest tech computers,
tablets, smart phones that “do it all” … and “do it with lightning speed”. Then put the icing on the longing to be more
connected with Facebook, Twitter, and all forms of social media, and life
should be perfect. Every day. All the time.
We have everything we need now, right?
Wrong. What we have is the
subtle, but steady descent into a life of flawed perfection. Sought-after satisfaction diffuses into major
dissatisfaction. Promised happiness and
achieved status crumble into empty sadness and maxed-out credit cards. This really is not what You wanted for Your
children, is it God? In the depths of
our hearts, we do long to be more. For
You. For Your honor and glory. We see You at work in our lives, and we feel
like “life is good”. But it’s so easy to
get satisfied and lulled into a state of being numbed to the fact that God has
more for us. Way more! Often we stumble through days of wasted time
with dulled senses, instead of staying focused and crying out, “What’s next,
God?” With God’s help, we can “just do
this”, you know. Rather than resting on
the laurels of a singular God-miracle, we can surge forward in our desire to
become more! You do recognize Who placed
that longing within us, don’t you? Yes,
it was God who placed a certain amount of godly discontent within us so that we
would never be content with the status quo of this world and its false
facades. It is God Who talks to us,
prods us, drops thoughts into our minds and hearts, and helps us recognize that
these promptings come from His Holy Spirit to our spirit. It is definitely God Who brings me to the
place of awareness that I have done wrong.
It is most certainly my Holy God Who brings me to my knees in genuine
repentance before Him. It is fully the
work of Jesus on the cross through His shed blood that shakes me to the core
and “fixes my spiritual flab”. It is
only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in me that convicts me to put just
as much effort and time into becoming spiritually fit as I do in every other
area of my life. And I work hard on
those other things, believe me. What if
I devoted equal time talking to God for every minute I spent on the phone or social
media connecting with others? What if I
sought to remove everything about me that doesn’t look like Jesus – as determinedly
as I try to clean all the dusty places in our house? I AM being literal about this, because God is
working on me – literally. God has just
given us a huge miracle in providing our church a permanent place to worship
in. We dare not sit back now in apathy
and wait for God to hand us the next miracle.
We need to be actively seeking and pursuing the next opportunity … the
next appointment … the next lost soul needing Jesus! Much work awaits us in God’s Kingdom, and He
needs children who will be fully committed and obedient – and continually aware
of the shaping that still needs to be done in their lives. He wants to take us back. May the ways of the world not fit and gain
entrance into our spiritually toned hearts and minds. May the Lord Jesus Christ alone have full
control of our lives so that we can become MORE! For the cause of Christ! There is nothing more noble than that.
REMEMBER . . .
“My son, do
not forget my teaching, but keep My commands in your heart,
for they will
prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity.
Let love and
faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck,
write them on
the tablet of your heart.
Then you will
win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
~ Proverbs
3:1-4
Joyfully Serving Christ . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
