So much for a daily writing assignment. Maybe I ought to just give up on that notion. I don’t know.
I ordered a book by Kevin DeYoung called “Just Do Something.” From what I gather it’s about deciphering what God intends for your life. It’s something I struggle with mightily. Read your Bible. Pray. But what happens when nothing happens? That’s where I feel like I’m at.
I am working on a triple-header for sermons. Colossians 3. I’m running the gauntlet as we wind down our search for a lead pastor at church. I’m looking forward to having a break but I’m also sad that I likely won’t be called on again anytime soon. This is a time to be savored and remembered fondly; the church has called and, by God’s grace, I’ve answered. I hope I’ve answered well.
Colossians 3 is an exciting piece of scripture. It divides itself into three nice packets: what Christ saved us from, what Christ saved us to, and what Christ expects of us. That’s how I’m currently dividing it. I’ve been trying to read the passage every day along with attacking some good commentary.
As I prepare another set of sermons, I am pained. It dawned on me last night as I tried to get to sleep: some people I grew up believing were Christians… might not be. It makes sense, as it would explain why my own path turned out the way it did. The “Christianity” I grew up with was obsessed with “being right,” a nominal cleanliness of living, and a general lack of concern for personal sin.
It was when a friend of mine called me out that I truly became saved. He said, “We’re called to be holy as He is holy.” It was a watershed moment for me. I still remember that moment, clear as a bell. It was as if my friend were not the one speaking, but Christ: be holy, for I am holy.
I was shaken to my core; I knew it to be true and yet I didn’t live it. I cannot put it down in words, I would have died if Christ did not reach out and grab this ugly, dirty, diseased sheep at that moment. It was during that time that I became aware of the sovereignty of God. I hadn’t considered it much before but in that moment God woke me up.
It’s that waking up that kept me up last night, worried for the souls of those I know. When the Bible gives us descriptions of the children of God, and these people do not fit those descriptions, I have ample cause to worry about their salvation despite their insistence on being saved. You cannot earn your way in, but your behavior would indicate that you have never encountered Christ; an encounter with God will leave you either humbled and in love with him, or bitter and angry. The folks I write of are in the latter camp.
Oh, God, my Father: please have mercy on these souls, please claim them as your own. May your Spirit move mightily in their lives and raise them from the dead. May they come to know the Son of the one true God, and experience the peace his Spirit brings. Amen.