What if?

At church yesterday, the sermon (preached by the guy that I get to call my husband) was about the process of sanctification in the Christian's life. He asked us all if we are paying attention to what God is doing in our lives. Every trial, every good thing is God teaching us something, and if we are seeking God in those events, we will grow in the process and be sanctified little by little - a process that continues until we take our last breath and are in the presence of Jesus. Or do we "pray the salvation prayer," and sit back and wait until we can go to heaven?

What if every Christian was actively pursuing God?

What if every Christian was really zealous for Jesus? 

This morning as I was driving to a Dr. appointment I was listening to a song with these lyrics:

Hallelujah, all I have is Christ.

Hallelujah, Jesus is my life.

I was reminded of the challenge in the sermon and thought, "What would my life look like if I lived like all I had was Christ and like Jesus is my LIFE? So often other things take precedence over Jesus.

So, what does it look like to follow Christ wholeheartedly?

We have some friends who sensed God was doing something and preparing them for a change. So, they resigned from their ministry position without knowing exactly what God had for them yet, willing to wait and see what God had in store. To some that might sound irresponsible, foolish maybe, but when God says, "Move," you'd best move! It's awesome (and I mean awesome in it's true definition) to watch how God is orchestrating the next thing for this couple.

Some other friends are planting a church in the city. They both grew up in rural areas, and have lived in a small town since they got married, so when they sensed God moving them in this direction, it was a stretch. Nevertheless, they said yes to God and they're moving out of their comfort zone in full reliance on God.

And there are many families we know who have been called to adopt and have followed Christ's command to take care of the widows and orphans.

We had lunch yesterday with a couple who is going to Ukraine with their 3 young boys to teach English and share of the love of Christ. Not to mention the people who are sacrificially giving of their income to support them as they go.

Does this mean that if you follow Christ you are going to be asked to quit your job, move to an unfamiliar place, give away your money, or adopt children? Maybe.

I have a hunch that if we all lived BOLD, zealous lives for Jesus, the world would be a much, much different place.

To borrow a quote from yesterday's sermon - "Following Christ is not easier, but it is better."