Life in Control

Last Tuesday, I experienced perhaps the worst, craziest, eye opening day of my life. I was in a car accident which not only totaled my car, but also sent me over a median and across 3 lanes of oncoming traffic. For awhile it seemed like life was in slow motion on the point of impact, then miraculously I remember sitting in my crunch car, across 3 lanes of traffic, facing the wrong direction. I was stunned.

It took me a couple days to get over the initial thoughts that go through your head, feelings of disappointment, and I still can't say I've gotten over the feeling of costing our young family financially. However, there is one pressing thought that has impacted me through this experience: how little control I had over that situation.

I keep revisiting the crash, and how I ended up in one piece across traffic. That is nothing short of God's grace and control. And I keep thinking, what could I do differently? How can I avoid a situation like this again? And you know what, I can't. I'm not in control. I consider myself a good driver, but I could be way safer. But even if I'm a good driver, that doesn't prevent car accidents. And who knows what other things could take my life even today. If nothing else, I personally encountered how helpless and not in control I am of my life.

We have no idea when or how we will leave this life. As much as we try to falsely convince ourselves through everything in this world that we are in control of our lives, we aren't, God is. You could have all the money and power in the world, and that still is not going to make you in more control than God. You could be the smartest, wisest, biblical scholar, and that's not going to make you more in control.

And yet, how many of us on a daily basis, actually live our lives with an eternal purpose. I now realize, even more than I ever did before, how short this life is. How quickly it can be snatched up. I can not waste another day to live for Christ. I pray that I never forget this experience, because I don't wanna be in cruise control. I don't want to even pretend to be in control, and most importantly, I want to give ALL I have for the sake of the Kingdom.

Urgency of Faith

What happened to having an urgency in our faith? A sense of "if I don't turn to God now, I may not get another chance." I have been thinking about this after noticing in different churches I've been to throughout my life, as well as people I know showing no urgency in their faith. Churches aren't preaching in a way that shows people that faith is not something that can wait until your deathbed as a "just in case" kind of action. People aren't thinking about what happens if they die tomorrow.

In life we are taught a little about what to think about in case we die tomorrow. We are told to have a good Will written up so that our children and family can be taken care of in the event of our untimely death. We are told to keep our finances in order so that our death doesn't leave a mess for our family and friends that might have to take care of our debt when we are gone. What we never really hear or talk about is what happens to US if we die tomorrow.

Now, I'm not a big fan of scare tactics in ministry. We've all seen that guy on the side of the street that has the big sign and is screaming at the top of his lungs, "Repent or burn in Hell!!" That's not what I intend to do here. I am not so much talking to unbelievers here as I am, "quasi-believers". Quasi-Believers being those that believe in God and Christ, but don't let it change their daily lives. They are those people that would say they are a Christian when asked, but don't show any obvious signs of it by the way they live their life.

A way that I have been thinking about this lately is the idea that we should be hoping and praying for the speedy return of Christ in this world. We should be praying daily that Christ do what needs to be done so that he can return and take his people as soon as possible because of what Paul said, "...to die is gain." This is a terrifying thought to me. I am a believer in Christ and I try to live for him daily, but I am not at all sure I am ready for him to come back and take me. As hard as I try to live for him, I fail every day. I'm not sure I value him above my life, and above my time on this earth with my wife and friends and family. It is terrifying to think about giving up all of that for Christ, but it is how we should be living and thinking.

This thought of what would happen to me if Christ came back today and took his people has got me thinking. I can't honestly say that I sit here every day and pray for Christ's return. I hope and pray that I get to that point where I can value an eternity with Christ over anything that I have in this life. I hope and pray that you get to that point as well. I would just challenge myself and all of you to think about that sometime. "What would happen if Christ came back today to take his people?" Would we ready and excited to go with him or would we be caught sleeping? Could we say that we had been doing everything we could to prepare God's people for Christ's return?

"But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works done on it will be exposed." 2 Peter 3:10

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Matthew 24:42-44

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

Don't Waste Your Life - Lecrae

This is a song by Lecrae.  It is called "Don't Waste Your Life."  Also the title of the John Piper book that I have been reading and mentioned in previous posts.  I just thought it would be cool to post a music video on here.  Check it out and check out his latest album "Rebel."  (We may have borrowed the Rebellion idea from him a little...haha.)  

"The Lord will do what is good in His sight."

This is a quote from 2 Samuel 10:12.  In this passage Joab is about to go up against two armies; the Arameans and Ammonites.  He splits his army.  Joab sends his best Israeli soldiers to fight the Arameans and sends his brother, Abishai, with the rest of the troops to fight the Ammonites.  Joab has no clue how this is going to turn out.  He tells his brother...

"If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.  Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God.  The Lord will do what is good in his sight."

Joab was taking a HUGE risk here.  He was heading into a situation where he did not know the outcome.  Frankily, he didn't seem to care.  All he cared about was that the Lord "do what is good in his sight."  If Joab's army won, the Lord would be glorified.  If Joab's army lost, the Lord would be glorified.

We can take a great lesson from this.  Right now my wife and I are in the process of relocating back to Indianapolis from Oxford, OH.  So far I have one job that probably isn't enough money to support us both without serious cuts in our lifestyle (which isn't at all lavish to begin with) and another possibility in waiting.  Courtney is most likely on the verge of getting a job but still does not have anything nailed down.  We have put a down payment on an apartment and hired a moving company.  

We are moving without knowing exactly what God has planned for us.  We have no clear future planned out in detail.  I was reminded of this story while reading John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life.  This story reminds me that it doesn't matter what happens.  We may find great jobs and make a million dollars, or we might tank and have to sell our cars, move into a smaller apartment, and take multiple part time dead end jobs to make ends meet. 

Either way we need to rely on God and realize the only thing that matters is that "The Lord will do what is good in His sight."  Whether we have great success quickly, take years to find success, or spend the next thirty years scraping by.  The only thing that matters is that God's will be done and that we take what we can learn from our struggles through that and grow in Christ.