Exploring the different ways we put Jesus Matt Chandler once said, “We have a mass of humanity that has had a collision with Jesus and has this hope of heaven, but the functionality of the gospel in their lives is not visible.”
Ouch! See we’ve trusted Jesus as our Savior, but many of us have not trusted Him as Lord and the obvious outcome is our lives as Christians doesn’t look that different from non-Christians.
In this series we’re going to talk a lot about the gap between “current you” and “imagined you”. It’s the gap between who you are today and the person God imagined when he thought you into existence. Most of us are aware of the gap and even though we know we can’t close it based on our human effort,but we try anyway.
Watch Backseat Jesus.
Here are a few ways I (Pete Wilson) find myself tempted to close the gap:
Fake it.
Daily I’m tempted to deal with the gap by just faking it. Just pretending there isn’t a gap. I wear a mask that portrays I have it all together even though I know inside I’m dying. I pretend I’m the father I’m not. I pretend I’m the husband I’m not. I cover up my weaknesses and hope nobody notices.
Work it
I’ve often been tempted to think I could close the gap if I just had a higher level of commitment. If I woke up a little earlier so I could pray 15 minutes longer. If I read five chapters a day instead of my two chapters. If I joined two small groups instead of just one. If I could make myself miserable then it must be spiritual.
Switch it.
This is a common temptation in our culture today. We even have a term for it called “church shopping”. When we realize there is a gap we blame it on the church we’re attending. If I’m not growing it must be their fault. So if I switch churches surely the next pastor or the next program will be able to help me close the gap. Right? Wrong!
Quit it.
This is when you decide to stop even worrying about the gap. You know it’s there, but you’re tired of not making progress so you just simply quit. You know you’re not the man or woman God has called you to be but you just give up. You decide to settle for mediocrity. You're tired, frustrated and you feel hopeless.
How about you? Do any of these ring a bell?
How are you tempted to close the gap?
Watch or listen to Backseat Jesus.
(c) Pete Wilson - Without Wax newsletter - March 3, 2009 * highlighting by me :)
enJOY this series? You can watch other excellent video messages at CrossPoint.tv
1 Comments:
Thanks for the link. I hope your readers will find the series helpful!
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