Ch. 337 - Becoming Audacious

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Usually 'desperation' is used in upsetting contexts or describing some horrific event, you know?

"That troubled woman was so desperate to feed her children that she had to rob a bank for money to buy food."

I think that's all that needs to be said.

Anyway.

I want people to be desperate.

Is that strange?

Here's the deal.
We are comfortable with our lives. With ourselves. With those we know. Our family. Our friends. Our co-workers. Our peers. We have schedules. Routines. What's more, we're comfortable with our faiths and with our God. We rest assured, knowing that by believing Jesus Christ died for us, we are saved by grace.

And then...

... we go to church.
We politely listen to the pastor's sermons, laugh gently when the kids say something cute during children's time, and clap approvingly when the choir sings a rousing song now and then.

... we read our Bibles.
We sit down regularly, at a set time... or rarely at all... and read God's Word like good, little Christians should. Sometimes we read to get something out of it, sometimes we don't.

... we pray to God.
We ask Jesus to look over those in our congregation who weren't in church last Sunday because they broke a hip, or for Susie's mother's cousin's next-door neighbor, whose cat went missing and is thus in quite a tizzy.

Going to church isn't a bad thing.
Neither is reading God's word.
Neither is praying.
In fact, I advocate doing each of these things.

But so what?

We are so comfortable with everything that we start to turn inward.
It comes to be about us.

"That's my pew. Get out."
"What can God's Word do for me today?"
"Jesus, help me do this. God, help me get that. Jesus, do this for me."

First of all, we need to be less comfortable.
We should be seeking God wholeheartedly, every day.
Strive to want more and more of Him constantly.
Don't settle for what you already know.
We will always be able to learn more about Him throughout our lives.
Push yourself.

Become desperate for God.

Live as if you just realized you can't breathe without wanting Him more.

Second of all, we need to step outside of our safe zone and focus outward.
Invite someone to church and - gasp - let them sit in your pew.
Share God's Word with someone who may not know the Gospel. For all you know, you could be the vessel that God uses to save their life.
Pray for others. All the time. Make it a point to pray for other people before yourself. There is power in prayer, especially in intercessory prayer.

Become bold in your faith.


' "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remained in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." '
[John 15:10-12]