Someday Sermon

If you preach, please don't steal this...

On second thought, take it and run with it, but only if it's biblical instead of a mindless rant from a guy that's far from figured it out.

Every now and then, God gives me an example from my life to teach me something. Imagine that. The latest (today) is no different.

Y'know, as a vocational minister (if that is an actual term that isolates one profession from another rather than the lifestyle Christ-followers are called and created to live), it's easy to get somewhat frustrated with oneself and others. It's those moments that God really likes to get my attention (give you three guesses how!) and show me that I have no right. I'm a sinner. I struggle with doing the right thing. I fail frequently. I succeed on rare occasion. But here's what I've seen in my life and get disgusted with myself over.

I want God, through my relationship with Him through Christ and being guided and comforted by the Holy Spirit, to change my life. Seriously. I love my life and am so filled with joy with the things and ways God has proven Himself over and over and over and over again in it. But I need change in my life to show Him the love I have for Him. I want God to change my life. Daily. Hourly, even. Change my life. This is and should be a common prayer and desire we Christ-followers should have. "God, change my life." Not a prayer of bail out, but one of dedication and desire for the perfection Christ lived. Sure, on a long enough timeline, I will fail. But that doesn't change my desire to want to stretch that timeline as thin as I've never stretched it before. God, change my life. And as I attempted to honestly pray this today, God showed me the error of my arrogance and dishonesty. How many times have I prayed, sought after, begged, pleaded, and so on for God to change my life, yet when presented with that opportunity to change, I quit. I backed down. I walked away from the proposal. What I meant when I "prayed" wasn't really for God to change my life, but rather to change my circumstances. Change the temporary. Change the little things I want different, regardless of why they exist in the first place. How pathetic...

We Christ-followers get caught up in the prayer implying "God, change my circumstances," when we say, "God, change my life." The 'change my life' prayer is very intimidating and can be scary...when we lack faith. But it's easy for us to see the little things (inconveniences that God probably placed there for His glory, by the way) that we want a specific desired outcome for, rather than live out a God engineered design that requires us to do what we don't want to do (shout, Paul).

Do you really want God to change your life to look more like Christ's? Or are you simply wussing out and implying for God to just change your circumstances? Do you have faith that God wants something BIGGER for your life than you do? Do you even have a clue what a changed LIFE looks like (i.e. - Have you ever let Him really do it?)???

What are you waiting for...

...chicken?