Are we doing it?

"Are we doing it? Are we giving the world a symmetrical, authentic, fully-formed image of Christ? There is still time. Spiritual growth is not a matter of chronology alone. It's a matter of spirit. Of heart. Of who you are to the next person you meet. In the next crisis you face. In the next moment you live." - Lloyd John Ogilvie

This world is out to get you. It wants a grip on your core; it wants to control what you love and what you hate; what you look like and who you act like, and what you think about every minute of every day. The world says "You deserve this," "Follow your heart," and, "Be yourself," but beneath all the feel-good psychology is a message that's purely selfish. The world has rejected God and replaced Him with its own image, and is out to do the exact same thing in you. Sometimes it isn't clear, but in order to be on easy, friendly terms, the world requires that you reject God & live a life that is all about your needs, your image, your love-life, your appetites...you, You, YOU!

This is the whole difficulty with Christianity - Jesus Christ came to deny the world its victory in your life. He asks you to grip onto His words, every minute of every day. He asks you to love what He loves, and hate what He hates, to take His behavior as the absolute model, and His thoughts as your thoughts. He requires that you live a life in friendship with God, a life that is all about His needs, His image, His love...it's all about Him, Him, Him!

"The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." - Paul, Romans 13:11-14