It's so easy to lose vision. We get moving in the daily grind of our lives, and we somehow lose sight of the things to which God has called us. When we do, we compromise the calling God has put on our lives, exchanging the excellence to which we are summoned for a mediocrity that is all-too common in middle class America.
I've spent the last 8 weeks of my life claiming to be pursuing God as fully as I knew how. That was, unfortunately, not really true. I very much got sucked into the every day routine and lost sight of some very specific goals God had laid on my heart. Yes, I have been faithful to some. I've been blessed by the direction our Bible study/Active Evangelism stuff has gone this semester. But in many cases, I have still had the knowledge of what I ought to be doing, and simply not done it. Specific ministries God called me to that I simply have not been faithful and obedient in.
Why?
Because I "didn't have time" this week, or "needed more time to pray about it," or "couldn't coordinate schedules with people," or any other excuse that my flesh could come up with. Perfectly valid excuses, in many cases. Also: perfectly wrong. God has not asked for our perfectly valid excuses; He has asked for our obedience.
I didn't understand, two months ago, just how easy it would be to let that fire fade. Even in areas where He had been sparking passions, I have been lax. I have let go of those passions. I have let go of the vision and the fire He had been imbuing me with, because it was simply hard to maintain. Whether that be a passion for the advancement of the gospel, a passion for glorifying God in every word and deed, a passion for communicating to other Christians the worth and value of what we have... I've let them slip. You've probably seen it. My blog has, especially in the past two to three weeks, moved away from calls to press on in Christ to a more self-absorbed tone, much like what it started off as. Not what God had called me to do with this space. And for that I apologize.
But we are not to dwell in our past sins. I have repented; I have confessed, and it is now time to move forward! This is a war, and stagnation is lost time: it is opportunity for the enemy to move, to regroup, to continue his deadly assault. Why give him the time? No! We must press on in the battle. We must take up again the torches, the vision that God has given us and advance His kingdom violently in the spiritual realm. We must unsheath our swords, heft our shields, and wade forth once more into battle. We must take up the Word and proclaim it; we must be dedicated to prayer; we must be vigilant against sin; we must be a support to our brothers-in-arms (be they man or woman).
We must never - ever - lose our passion for God and the glory of His name. We must not lose sight of the magnificent path ahead of us; nor can we afford to let go of the call to take up our cross daily and die for Him. When we do, we give in to mediocrity; we let ourselves be consumed by this world: in a word, we become carnal again. And we are called to more than that! We are called to be spiritual men and women who are having their minds daily renewed to be conformed to the image of Christ, transformed from the pattern of this world to the pattern that God has laid out before us. We are called upwards, ever upwards, in this struggle against principalities and powers of darkness in this world, in this battle against the darkness that inhabits our own hearts, in this war for the eternal destiny of this generation. We are called to a higher standard: the standard of God Almighty, perfect and holy.
We are called to war against hell and every demonic power. We are called to absolute surrender to God, the total and complete giving over of ourselves for His purposes, the utter release of our own control and absolute submission to His.
May the Father be glorified; may the Son be praised; may the Spirit's work be complete in you. Walk in grace, walk in peace. Walk in power, walk in boldness. Go forth with a passion for the gospel and the kingdom of God. And never surrender them - not for circumstance, not for temptation, not for anything. Hold fast to the promise, to the call, to the vision, to the first love and the fire that God gave you when you were born into His kingdom.
Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you!
- Chris
I've spent the last 8 weeks of my life claiming to be pursuing God as fully as I knew how. That was, unfortunately, not really true. I very much got sucked into the every day routine and lost sight of some very specific goals God had laid on my heart. Yes, I have been faithful to some. I've been blessed by the direction our Bible study/Active Evangelism stuff has gone this semester. But in many cases, I have still had the knowledge of what I ought to be doing, and simply not done it. Specific ministries God called me to that I simply have not been faithful and obedient in.
Why?
Because I "didn't have time" this week, or "needed more time to pray about it," or "couldn't coordinate schedules with people," or any other excuse that my flesh could come up with. Perfectly valid excuses, in many cases. Also: perfectly wrong. God has not asked for our perfectly valid excuses; He has asked for our obedience.
I didn't understand, two months ago, just how easy it would be to let that fire fade. Even in areas where He had been sparking passions, I have been lax. I have let go of those passions. I have let go of the vision and the fire He had been imbuing me with, because it was simply hard to maintain. Whether that be a passion for the advancement of the gospel, a passion for glorifying God in every word and deed, a passion for communicating to other Christians the worth and value of what we have... I've let them slip. You've probably seen it. My blog has, especially in the past two to three weeks, moved away from calls to press on in Christ to a more self-absorbed tone, much like what it started off as. Not what God had called me to do with this space. And for that I apologize.
But we are not to dwell in our past sins. I have repented; I have confessed, and it is now time to move forward! This is a war, and stagnation is lost time: it is opportunity for the enemy to move, to regroup, to continue his deadly assault. Why give him the time? No! We must press on in the battle. We must take up again the torches, the vision that God has given us and advance His kingdom violently in the spiritual realm. We must unsheath our swords, heft our shields, and wade forth once more into battle. We must take up the Word and proclaim it; we must be dedicated to prayer; we must be vigilant against sin; we must be a support to our brothers-in-arms (be they man or woman).
We must never - ever - lose our passion for God and the glory of His name. We must not lose sight of the magnificent path ahead of us; nor can we afford to let go of the call to take up our cross daily and die for Him. When we do, we give in to mediocrity; we let ourselves be consumed by this world: in a word, we become carnal again. And we are called to more than that! We are called to be spiritual men and women who are having their minds daily renewed to be conformed to the image of Christ, transformed from the pattern of this world to the pattern that God has laid out before us. We are called upwards, ever upwards, in this struggle against principalities and powers of darkness in this world, in this battle against the darkness that inhabits our own hearts, in this war for the eternal destiny of this generation. We are called to a higher standard: the standard of God Almighty, perfect and holy.
We are called to war against hell and every demonic power. We are called to absolute surrender to God, the total and complete giving over of ourselves for His purposes, the utter release of our own control and absolute submission to His.
May the Father be glorified; may the Son be praised; may the Spirit's work be complete in you. Walk in grace, walk in peace. Walk in power, walk in boldness. Go forth with a passion for the gospel and the kingdom of God. And never surrender them - not for circumstance, not for temptation, not for anything. Hold fast to the promise, to the call, to the vision, to the first love and the fire that God gave you when you were born into His kingdom.
Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these other things will be added to you!
- Chris
Amen!!! 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
ReplyDeleteAmen, you have really stirred me up to keep the vision that God has given me ever before my eyes. thank you.
ReplyDeleteBill
Amen to that. =)
ReplyDeleteThanks, all, for the kind words and thoughts. Apologies it's taken me over a week to respond. I'm back, now, though.
ReplyDelete