Thursday, September 8, 2016

Is God your Cosmic Consultant? Part 2.

How many times (roughly) do you think you've asked God for wisdom and direction in your life?
Is it more often for something specific; do I take this job? do I date this person? do I buy this house? which major do I choose?

I've often prayed these things to Him. In my last relationship, I often said "God, help me to see what You want in my life. If You don't want me in this relationship, then let me know. I want to see what you see."

I don't know how many times I prayed this prayer. Dozens. Maybe even hundreds. But I don't think I meant it, ever. I wanted God's input. I wanted His advice. I wanted His perspective on my life. I wanted His opinion, blended in with all the other opinions of all of my friends and family members. I just wanted to know what He thought about things.

I didn't actually want His leadership. I didn't actually see God as Lord - ruler and leader - of my life. I wanted to do my own thing and then know what He thought of it.


I'm sharing all of this with you because I don't want my friends to handle their lives the same way. I don't want people to view God the same way I did for so long.
If you're going to give your life to God, then give it to Him.
If you say you surrender; then actually surrender.
If you say to Him in your worship and prayers "I am Yours, take me where You want me" then mean it. Because when you say those kinds of things to Him, He will challenge you on them. He will put you to the test to see if you're serious or not.

And the closer you walk to Him the more and more He will challenge you - dare you even - to walk closer to Him and lay down a little more of yourself to Him everyday. To die a little more everyday to yourself, to your desires, and to your own hopes.

When you ask Him what He wants for you, do you really mean it? Do you really want Him to rule over you and be your King?


Friday, September 2, 2016

Is God your Cosmic Consultant? pt. 1

Life is so surreal right now.

When I was a kid I wrote a little poem about one day growing up and living in the City, away from the farm and away from my parents.
I used to, at night, use the house-key to lock and unlock our never locked front door, and go in and out of our house, dozens of times, pretending I was a grown-up going in and out of my apartment; to and from work or whatever. I think at that age my dream job was a detective. I had recently discovered Sherlock Holmes and I wanted nothing more in life than to be a British consulting detective.

I may no longer be in a giant, million-person City, but I am now living alone. Every night I come home to my happy, cuddly, sweet little kitty. She greets me, checks on me, and then follows me around the apartment crying until I get into bed. She then curls up next to me with a little kitty smile on her face and purrs both of us to sleep. I like her a lot. She makes my apartment a home.

Since I made the decision to move into town I have been actively and consciously looking for Christian community to be a part of other than just Sunday morning service. Through two of my best buds from Camp I ended up at a campus Navigators meeting on Wednesday night. Navs is one of many Christian college-level organizations designed to help students in their walks with Christ through their college career.
I've been to a quite a few Campus ministry meetings over my life, but this one. Wow. I was impressed not only with the message, but also with the number of young Christians I met and their immediate genuineness and kindness towards me.

The point of the message was:
Is it worth your time to actively follow and pursue God in your college career?
Yes. It most definitely is.

"Why do you spend money for what is not good to eat, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your war, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you -" Isaiah 55:2-3

Good question.
Why do we spend our money on worthless things that do no satisfy our souls?
Why did I spend so much time and energy in my first round of college trying to satisfy my fleeting wants and desires?
Why do we "eat" what is bad and fill our hearts with junk and trash?

The speaker talked about his own fleshly pursuits in college, and how, in the long run, it greatly benefited his life to lay aside all of that and really, truly pursue God's Heart. He'd grown up in Church, but he had never really let God lead his life.
As he was talking I was reminded of the message I'd heard last Sunday Morning at the EvangelicalFree Church:

"If you're treating God as a cosmic consultant, He is not Lord of your life. God doesn't give advice. He gives instruction."

That line hit me right in the heart. Hard.
I was immediately reminded of how often I had prayed about my last relationship while I was in it; wanting to hear God's advice and input in my life but not actually wanting His rule and authority in my life. Even now, as I write this, it still ties my stomach in knots and makes me shake my head in shame and regret.

I can't change the past, but I can wisely improve the present by learning from my past and the pasts of those around me who share their own lessons, trials, and mistakes,.