Do Our Lives Add Up?

For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 1 Th 2:11-12

I'm reading a book which has as one of its underlying premises that Christianity must be changed / reformed / returned to its original state since most people who call themselves Christians don't live what they profess, or at least what the label "Christian" implies. Without going into a critique of the book (visible vs invisible Church, the effects of indwelling sin, Christ's sovereign power to build His church) I was tweaked by a small choice of words that I read in My Utmost for His Highest today. Chambers, in comparing mountain top (i.e. deeply spiritual) experiences to a believer's everyday life, he said "Their lives don't add up". And while its conclusions may be misguided, the book I mentioned earlier observes a very similar thing. Sadly, the lives of many Christians don't add up.

At this point I am tempted to throw out some verses. 1 Th 2:11-12 is above. Eph 4, Rom 12, Mt 5, Isa 58 also come to mind. But I will leave it up to you, at the Spirit's prompting, to reflect on these and other passages. Because I would maintain that the entire New Testament and probably most of the Old Testament doesn't make sense if we are not "all in". Read the book of Acts. Whether its Peter or Paul, what they endure for the gospel is incoherent if they simply viewed the faith as some add on to their already pretty good lives. Look at the urgency and passion in the epistles, Words like urge and anguish, unceassing and constant, confident and assured are littered across the pages. Clearly the expectation was (and is) that anyone who would follow Christ would really follow Him. Remember what a disciple was back in Jesus' day. A disciple was some one who left whatever profession they were in to follow someone (usually a rabbi) for a period of time and immerse themselves in his life and teaching so that at the end of the training they would be just like their teacher. Sound familiar?

So the bottom-line is simply this: Do our lives add up? I am confident that the Holy Spirit will gladly answer that question for you and for me. And, He will provide the means for each of us to move from where we are to where God wants us to be.

To God Alone be the Glory