Both eyes on the prize

To be a "Christian" means to be like Christ. 
Take a look around. 
Now, I don't know about you, but I don't see a whole bunch of Christians living Christ centered lives (just being honest here). 
Hmm. Is there something wrong with this picture?


It's not that we have to wear long dresses and never let our hair down (if you want to wear long dresses, you certainly may -- I happen to like wearing dresses).  
Well, I definitely believe it is important for us to relate to our unsaved neighbors. However, we have almost gone too far in that direction -- instead of standing out for Christ, we tend to blend in with our surroundings. 


It was Jim Elliot who said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose". Personally, I get excited when I read that quote — it's just so inspiring!

Nothing in this world will last forever. In fact, most earthly treasures will last a couple hundred years at best. We, as humans, will not last even that long (not even with those really great genes... yeah, Biology).


I know that I am going to die because it is fact. There is a time for everything (from which living and dying are not exempt). 
Since I know where I am going after this life, I have no fear of death. 
But why then, is it so hard to give my life completely over to God? 


If I am a follower of Him, doesn't that mean I will follow Him anywhere? 
I know I cannot keep my life on this earth. I know that I want to live in Heaven with God for all of eternity. 
It is possible to know this, and yet, it is also possible to feel scared at the thought of surrendering all control over to Him. 
This is where faith is needed. As Christians, we are allowed to feel scared. But, we should never let our fears get in the way of doing what God wants. 


The responsibility to live a life which is pleasing to Him is immense and kind of daunting. I definitely don't want to let Him down. 

He has called His children to be ambassadors unto all the earth.  

Well, I know that my name is already written in the book of Life... and it cannot be erased. I'm guessing this is where a lot of really great Christian's go wrong. 

Just because I am definitely going to Heaven doesn't mean that I don't need to do anything here on earth while I'm waiting. 

I need to walk where He wants me to walk, say what He needs me to say, and speak to the people whom he has called me to speak. 

In short, this life is not about me, it is about my Savior. 

I have found that it is not an easy thing to live a life for Him. But just because its hard doesn't mean that it can't or shouldn't be done, right? 

I know I will mess up -- I do frequently. 

Yeah, if I had a Starbuck's punch card for every time God had to set me straight, I'd probably have a million free drinks by now (I'm not proud of that). 

I would do anything for my Savior - He gave His life for me, the very least I can do is devote my life to Him. 

My point is that I feel like Christians in America need to wake up. 

We need to remember that we are missionaries wherever we are. We need to remember that Christ is the center of our lives. And we need to be active -- our world is changing right before our eyes and [for the most part] we aren't doing anything about it. What will God say to us (His children) when we get to Heaven? Will He be pleased with our lives? 

Is He pleased with our lives right now? 

Are you willing to give what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose?

If you have thoughts, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to comment!