I didn't come to Christ because of eternal life or for forgiveness of sins. O, I believe those things exist for those who give their lives to Christ but they just weren't the driving reasons for my commitment to Christ. I was only eighteen at the time and I didn't think I would ever die. I wasn't bothered by my sins either. I should have been but the regret for my sins would come later.
No, I heard that Jesus had a plan for my life. That plan was that my life would have purpose and meaning. Somehow I knew this was true and that my commitment to Him would bring me into His purpose. This is why I find it strange when Christians act as people who don't know Christ. Why aren't their lives centered around giving God glory? How can they continue to treat their commitment to Christ as a leisure activity?
The Apostle Paul thought that his purpose was eliminating Christianity from the planet. He was actively crusading against the continuation of this aberration from Judaism. He met Jesus on the Damascus Road and his purpose changed. His commitment to Christ changed his whole reason for living.
The rest of the disciples' purpose was locked in after the resurrection. They gave their lives for this purpose. They may have misunderstood before the resurrection but their whole perspective changed afterwards.
Some who read this blog may think I am saying that everyone who truly commits himself to Christ will go into the professional ministry but I am not. I think that most who truly commit to Christ will fulfill His purpose successfully without ever going to seminary or entering the ministry. They will not be second class Christian citizens.
I'm afraid that many people believe that they must go into the ministry if they are truly committed to Christ. They may even become missionaries. They do not realize that everyone who commits to Christ is already in the ministry and has already become a missionary.
God's purpose is that we should become like His Son and make disciples. The execution of this purpose is different for each individual. This purpose should be pursued and submitted to. It should be at the center of the individual. It should be not only be at the Christian's heart but it must be his heart. It will never be fully accomplished though it will always be satisfying when it is truly being sought. A true commitment to Christ cannot be taken casually. By definition, a commitment is not casual.
So, does that mean that those who are treating their commitment to Christ as a leisure activity haven't really made a commitment to Christ at all? I can't make that judgment. I only know what this commitment is. Each one of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to answer how we did one day. I know I haven't been perfect either. I won't have any reason to look down on others.
What do you think?
Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV) 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
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