The Motions!!!

Yesterday instead of AWANA at church we did a roller skating night at the Aurora Skating Center and we roller skated, well I roller bladed (what a rebel I am), the night away.  Also I volunteered to do the devotion and planned for half-an-hour... I got ten minutes.  So I really kinda had to improv what I had planned.

My plan was to briefly state how roller skating/blading relates to life.  We are just going around in circles just like in life we are doing the same things over and over again.  There is a wonderful song out there called "The Motions" by Mattew West and in the chorus, he tells us that he doesn't want to wish his life away wishing that he gave God his everything!!!

There is a link for the song, in case you havent heard it ever or in a long time.

Really what I wanted to get into was the "giving God our everything" part... surrendering our lives to the will of Christ and doing it, key word here, WILLFULLY!

I am convinced that God does NOT want us to read our Bibles and pray 24/7 because then the Great Commission would not be fulfilled.  Instead we as believers should be set-apart, Romans 12:1-2, yes sir, by the things we say, do, the way we dress, etc.   People should know that we are believers without us having to wear a shirt that says "Hey guys, I am a Christian" or by us telling them verbally.  When I say set-apart I mean set-apart to the fullest meaning of the words and what the Bible means by it.

Right now I should emphasize that I am not perfect and I struggle with the very things I am telling y'all.  This is a daily struggle with me too.

There are an endless nuber of excuses that people will give.  I touched on three, which I have heard personally, and then I have used one of them too in my life.  The first is that "I have committed so many sins, God cannot possibly forgive me!"

The first problem is this, they are limiting God.  The second thing is why did Jesus die on the cross? Oh that's right, to die for OUR sins, I Cor. 15:3-4.  Thirdly, look at many believers and their past lives... not pretty.

Second excuse: They don't want to surrender their lives to Christ because He will make them do things that they don't want to do.  My question for them is this:  Do they think that Christ was happy when He was being led to the cross, when He was whipped, mocked, cursed, beat, spat upon, and the nails were being driven into His wrists and feet?  Matthew 26:39 says that He wasn't very glad about what was to take place.  But He submits to the will of God the Father!!!  So remember what Christ did for you before you tell God "No"

Finally and the excuse I have used.  "He will make me get rid of the music, movies, games that I enjoy.  For somethings I can ask, "Why are you doing these things in the first place?" for others He will change our mindset.  But again from personal experience, you will forget about it all anyways.

To leave y'all with this question.  My job is not to change your lives, that is God's job and He does a fantastic job at it.  I want y'all to think about the way you live your lives and are you set-apart from the people around you?  My question is this: How are you living your life and WHO are you living your life for?  Is this really your life or is it God's?