[quote]thomas.galvin wrote:
MikeTheBear wrote:
I find that a lot of this “I do X for Jesus” is really our way of convincing ourselves that we accomplish more for God that we really do.
I think this is the key sentence right here. Perhaps I’m just too cynical and jaded, but I think that many, certainly not all, but many, people who call themselves “Christians” and do everything for Jesus are people with a, shall we say, less than Christian past, who have suddenly found the Lord and want to wear in on their sleeve to cover up their checkered past. Hey, I’m glad these people have repented and all, but they need to quit pretending that they’re holier than everyone else.
Well, to be fair, the only real reason to turn to Christ is to cover up a checkered past. I believe in the goodness and provision of God, in an abundant life, but contrary to what many modern preachers will tell you, this isn’t the core of the Gospel message. If you listen to many people today, God is like some Great Cosmic Coach who wants you to be all that you can be.
In truth, He wants us to be what we could never be: righteous. The true message of the Gospel is that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Even though we have noting to offer Him, He chose us, simply because.
When you really get that, it does a couple of things. First, it changes your priorities around. Instead of living for yourself, you start to live for God, or at least you should. The focus now isn’t so much on the big house and the nice car, its about doing what He created you to do. For some people, that’s preaching, for some, it’s being an awesome teacher or a great parent or what have you. Some of us, though, try to take our own desires, dress them up in religious language, and call that our divine purpose.
Maybe God really does want me to be the best weight lifter I know, but I don’t think that that is my primary purpose. Right now I’m a software engineer, but that isn’t my primary purpose, either.
The second thing is it makes you a bit more humble. When you really start to touch the heart of God, you actually become less likely to be “holier than thou,” because you see yourself reflected in Christ. People ask me sometimes why I fall to my knees when we worship. Many assume it’s because I feel the presence of God. While that’s true, the real reason I can’t stand is because when I look at Him, I see how far I still have to go.
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what a great answer probably the best here