"It is so easy to drift."
And, though it shouldn't be true, it really is. Grace alone should set our feet to dancing and our lips to praising day and night, but what we really see when we look around at fellow followers of Christ is nothing short of . . . well, bland. Sometimes we just want to grab them by the shoulders, give a good shake, and shout, "Is anyone in there? Have you forgotten how Good He really is?!"
Now, don't get me wrong - I experience days of spiritual ho-hum, too. I've got to remind myself of the fire Jesus set in my heart and fan the flames sometimes as well. I've never claimed perfection and I'm not about to start, but I think I'm discovering something here - there is a cure for the lazy drifter.
"But make sure that you don't get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can't afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don't loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!" -Romans 13:11-14 (Msg)
As much as I love sleep (and I do), I don't want Jesus to come back and find me loitering. He deserves more from me. We can't lose track of time, thinking we'll serve God "someday." Guess what? Someday will never come. Followers of Christ have to get up out of our comfy beds and get dressed!
How? Here are some practical ways to be up and about:
* Get out of bed a few minutes earlier to write down your prayer list for the day. (I know this is tough, my alarm goes off too early and all my body wants is more sleep, but my spirit is hungry, and my God is helpful)
* Put on your student-hat and research the work with which God is pleased (Check Isaiah 58 for a start); after such research, take the first step of action.
* As Stephen King wrote once about unnecessary adverbs he had to eliminate from his writing, "Murder your darlings." Eliminate the things in your life that you treasure but God despises. For example: "Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy." -Hebrews 13:13 (NLT) - (same verse as in the passage above, but a different version) You might really enjoy it, but if it's not God's plan for your life, you will have to give it up. And you might as well do it sooner rather than later. Time is of the essence.
* Get ready. Start every day with this thought: Jesus might come today. I guarantee that one thought will absolutely change the way you think, feel, act, love, and live. Put on your best and get ready to meet Him. And if you didn't already know this, your best is the Righteousness he gives you. Wear it with thankfulness and get busy doing whatever it is that you would like Him to find you doing when He comes. Because He IS coming!
The end result in all of this is so beautiful. Check out how Paul describes it to Timothy: "Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes! Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don't be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation." - 1 Timothy 4:15-16 (Msg) Salvation. The eternal security and hope of being with Jesus, in His presence, face-to-face, forever in Heaven with Him and His people. There is nothing else worth pursuing. All excuses for lazy drifting are crucified.
Let's make it hard for ourselves to drift.
