Lord, help me not to ramble….Ok, last Saturday, a friend of mine, a guy that I went to youth group with, and hung out with, died of a drug overdose (sorry to the SC people for bringing it up again). He knew the Lord, but seemingly found it rather difficult to cut the ropes the enemy had around him. This event, along with a few other perfectly timed events in my life has literally changed me, like putting something into a microwave and getting nearly instant results.
Please let these words sink in, even though you have heard them many times…our family, and friends, a lot of them are headed for hell. This is not a game guys. We have no idea. “Comfort zone” is a nice way of saying that we have become so set in our ways and comfortable with our lives that we have forgotten what this life is all about. Jesus. Guys…and gals…that is what we are here for. When we accepted Christ, we accepted the challenge and PRIVILEDGE to lead other people to a saving knowledge of Him. I understand fear of what may happen and of our assumed inadequacy cripple us to the point of inaction, but this HAS TO STOP.
I am not sure where in your life this finds you, but I hope and pray that you hear the words that are speaking from my spirit…and not just the words I am typing.
Hell…with flames, and screams, is real. We pretend like it isn’t. We pretend like heaven has an easy entry ticket, but it doesn’t. Narrow is the road. Not wide. I would urge you to dive into the word and make sure that your life aligns with the commands of Jesus, because there is no other way into the gates except through Him.
We are used to having basically whatever we want. Dangerously, this idea spills over into our walk with the Lord. We don’t want to put much effort into it, but we want mega results (maybe none of you are like this, but I am, so I am at least speaking for myself….chances are, I am not alone). As little work as possible, with the highest pay-off.
Jesus gave his own life so that we could own day live with Him for eternity. He added another lamb to his flock even while dying on the cross. He loved people. Truly loved people. And that is what we are called to do….They will know us by our love. Not our bumper stickers, our cliques, our Christianese, our complaining about the church, our thirst for materialism, or even our occasional missions trip (not that all missions trips are bad), but they will know us by our lifestyle of LOVE….
Basically, what I am asking you all is huge. I am asking you to become a person who doesn’t care about what gadget you will be getting for Christmas, but care more that someone could be freezing to death downtown at the same time! Be a person who unashamedly proclaims the name of Jesus to all who’ll listen, but be sensitive to the spirit enough to know mid-sentence when what you are about to say should not be said. A person who doesn't care if someone makes you look bad when you are hanging out with them because their clothes may not be as nice, or their hair, not as styled…….revolutionaries….
I am asking all of you to pray about ways that you can DAILY live out the love of Christ…whether that be a cold cup of water in the summer to a random stranger who seems thirsty, or a warm cup of hot chocolate in the winter to a homeless man. Unashamedly, undeniably Jesus…with skin on…Go be Jesus to a world that needs Him more than we could ever realize…
