Keeping Christ in the process
This is a call to Christians, a great one it is. It is a call to, concerning the situations of life, to keep our minds on keeping Christ in the process.
All around us, the allure and drive for achievement and success is so great that if we are not careful, we could get steered towards an extremely skewed view about life and God. Nowadays it seems like it's all about the hustle, never mind if the methods are not quite 'God-approved', the end justifies the means, just 'hammer' and you can bribe God afterward with a huge tithe or a stupendous contribution to the new church project. Nobody wants to be the last in the pack, nobody wants to be the snail whose life is one long drag with huge time gaps between one success milestone and the next, all because they are 'waiting on the Lord's time'. We want it quick - the juicy job offers, the promotions, the mansions, the cars, the spouse, the children, the jet setting lifestyles - and we want it easy. Not for us the Abrahamic waits, no no, we want it as soon as it looks like we should have it and no later.
Even for Christians that don't seem caught up in all the hustling, the impact of this Success-is-King mindset is equally toxic: prayer life has been reduced to nags and whines to God about when He'll 'make-it-happen' for them or warfare prayers against every single possible causative spiritual force behind their delay.
This situation is not made easier by well-intentioned older folk and church leaders that are quick to reply to every 'failure' or problem report with an attack prayer on evil forces, or a jab along the lines of "You are not praying/fasting well enough".
This kind of pressure for success might be considered by some to be right and even needed to keep people diligent and focused in their endeavors. But, if it is not handled well, it has the spiritually toxic effect of making us lose our joy and peace in Christ, and implanting in us a terrible root of anxiety that makes us see God as working WAY behind schedule.
This is a call away from it all - to rest from our mad haste. It is not a call to laziness and complacency, because the Bible instructs us to do whatever we find to do with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). It is simply a call to rest in Christ, and take upon His easy yoke. (Matthew 11:28). It is a call to take our eyes off our different ambitions and yearning and instead fix them on Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith. It is a call to indeed cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us.
Keeping Christ in the process is not as easy as it sounds. It is a whole lifestyle and attitude adjustment process, which starts from the determination to stop parting ways with God after leaving church service on Sunday afternoon but to take Him, no, better yet, let Him lead us through all other facets of life during the week, with special emphasis on the facets of our life we seek success in. It is not the most convenient walk: it oftentimes demands separation from the things we consider dear (because we might not find His presence in those things), and might require us dropping some of our closest cherished aspirations. But it gets easier with time, and many that have trod this path have adjudged it to be the most fulfilling decision they made.
It is, in a way, a transition from the average type of Christianity to Christianity with a purpose - moving beyond a name-only relationship with the Saviour to a life lived in sync with His desires and purposes.
Now did the target of this piece move abruptly from the high-flying, upwardly-mobile group of young Christians to a (re)solution that would only sit comfortably with the docile, monastic/missionary-life inclined group? Well... no. It is possible to be in the business or professional career path and keep Christ in the process. It is possible to be in a relationship, get married, raise kids and keep Christ in the process. Many Christians believe they already do this but they don't, and the quickest way to tell is if they are moved easily by earthly issues rather than eternal ones.
All around us, the allure and drive for achievement and success is so great that if we are not careful, we could get steered towards an extremely skewed view about life and God. Nowadays it seems like it's all about the hustle, never mind if the methods are not quite 'God-approved', the end justifies the means, just 'hammer' and you can bribe God afterward with a huge tithe or a stupendous contribution to the new church project. Nobody wants to be the last in the pack, nobody wants to be the snail whose life is one long drag with huge time gaps between one success milestone and the next, all because they are 'waiting on the Lord's time'. We want it quick - the juicy job offers, the promotions, the mansions, the cars, the spouse, the children, the jet setting lifestyles - and we want it easy. Not for us the Abrahamic waits, no no, we want it as soon as it looks like we should have it and no later.
Even for Christians that don't seem caught up in all the hustling, the impact of this Success-is-King mindset is equally toxic: prayer life has been reduced to nags and whines to God about when He'll 'make-it-happen' for them or warfare prayers against every single possible causative spiritual force behind their delay.
This situation is not made easier by well-intentioned older folk and church leaders that are quick to reply to every 'failure' or problem report with an attack prayer on evil forces, or a jab along the lines of "You are not praying/fasting well enough".
This kind of pressure for success might be considered by some to be right and even needed to keep people diligent and focused in their endeavors. But, if it is not handled well, it has the spiritually toxic effect of making us lose our joy and peace in Christ, and implanting in us a terrible root of anxiety that makes us see God as working WAY behind schedule.
This is a call away from it all - to rest from our mad haste. It is not a call to laziness and complacency, because the Bible instructs us to do whatever we find to do with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9:10). It is simply a call to rest in Christ, and take upon His easy yoke. (Matthew 11:28). It is a call to take our eyes off our different ambitions and yearning and instead fix them on Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith. It is a call to indeed cast our cares on Him, because He cares for us.
It is a call to let Christ be all He is supposed to be in us - and to also become all we are supposed to be in Him. And we can only do that when we keep Christ in the process.
Keeping Christ in the process is not as easy as it sounds. It is a whole lifestyle and attitude adjustment process, which starts from the determination to stop parting ways with God after leaving church service on Sunday afternoon but to take Him, no, better yet, let Him lead us through all other facets of life during the week, with special emphasis on the facets of our life we seek success in. It is not the most convenient walk: it oftentimes demands separation from the things we consider dear (because we might not find His presence in those things), and might require us dropping some of our closest cherished aspirations. But it gets easier with time, and many that have trod this path have adjudged it to be the most fulfilling decision they made.
It is, in a way, a transition from the average type of Christianity to Christianity with a purpose - moving beyond a name-only relationship with the Saviour to a life lived in sync with His desires and purposes.
Now did the target of this piece move abruptly from the high-flying, upwardly-mobile group of young Christians to a (re)solution that would only sit comfortably with the docile, monastic/missionary-life inclined group? Well... no. It is possible to be in the business or professional career path and keep Christ in the process. It is possible to be in a relationship, get married, raise kids and keep Christ in the process. Many Christians believe they already do this but they don't, and the quickest way to tell is if they are moved easily by earthly issues rather than eternal ones.
(In other words, what gets you off the couch - Gold or God?)
It is possible to achieve earthly success but not bask in them, seeking instead and in all things only the praise that comes from the Father in heaven. And this is what comes from keeping Christ in the process.
What are the signs of a life that keeps Christ in the process?
1. Your problems do not define you, and neither do your successes. We have probably all heard about one person or the other who committed suicide because of a problem they faced. We have also likely heard about some other person (perhaps a celebrity) who just could not see past the applause to the greater purpose of life, and ended up in a destructive spiral of wastage, self-abuse and death. Being Christ-minded would help one understand that there is a Sunday after the Friday, a joy after all the pain, a light at the end of the dark tunnel. It would also help us to not settle for applauses of this life, but instead, reach on for the greatest applause at the end of eternity - which is commendation from the Father Himself.
2. The understanding that problem and success are twins - every success is a result of overcoming a problem - so that the setbacks don't deter, but inspire one.
3. The realization that with God, the end does not justify the means, but that each step in the means is equally as important to Him as the end. This will keep us away from the immoral or ungodly 'short-cut'.
4. The peace that comes from the realization that God is with us every step of the way, not just in our successes but in our problems. Through this, in every aspect of our life - both our successes and failures - we have testimonies.
5. We would confidently be able to say in retrospect of our lives, "no regrets" because every failure was a learning point. And if we stick with the great Teacher, the Holy Spirit, we would not need to make so many mistakes and encounter so many failures before we become successful.
6. When we are assured that God is in full control of our lives, that poisonous anxiety would not have any access in, for we would rest assured in God's impeccable timing for our lives.
7. Our prayer lives would be more meaningful as a result of the above and not just a faithless tirade of demands like "God are you really there?/If you really exist give me this.." etc
8. There is freedom to minister the actual gospel of Christ in truth and sincerity and love, as against 'through-the-pain' or 'in-faith' - which for most people is more of an exchange/bribery process with God.
9. In the spiritual and natural, we are able to make Christ-led efforts towards our success and not just 'default' or formulaic ones. God could lead us to fast or pray directed spiritual warfare prayers. But if we just do these for formality purposes, they may be ineffective and even result in discouragement when we don't see results.
What are the signs of a life that keeps Christ in the process?
1. Your problems do not define you, and neither do your successes. We have probably all heard about one person or the other who committed suicide because of a problem they faced. We have also likely heard about some other person (perhaps a celebrity) who just could not see past the applause to the greater purpose of life, and ended up in a destructive spiral of wastage, self-abuse and death. Being Christ-minded would help one understand that there is a Sunday after the Friday, a joy after all the pain, a light at the end of the dark tunnel. It would also help us to not settle for applauses of this life, but instead, reach on for the greatest applause at the end of eternity - which is commendation from the Father Himself.
2. The understanding that problem and success are twins - every success is a result of overcoming a problem - so that the setbacks don't deter, but inspire one.
3. The realization that with God, the end does not justify the means, but that each step in the means is equally as important to Him as the end. This will keep us away from the immoral or ungodly 'short-cut'.
4. The peace that comes from the realization that God is with us every step of the way, not just in our successes but in our problems. Through this, in every aspect of our life - both our successes and failures - we have testimonies.
5. We would confidently be able to say in retrospect of our lives, "no regrets" because every failure was a learning point. And if we stick with the great Teacher, the Holy Spirit, we would not need to make so many mistakes and encounter so many failures before we become successful.
6. When we are assured that God is in full control of our lives, that poisonous anxiety would not have any access in, for we would rest assured in God's impeccable timing for our lives.
7. Our prayer lives would be more meaningful as a result of the above and not just a faithless tirade of demands like "God are you really there?/If you really exist give me this.." etc
8. There is freedom to minister the actual gospel of Christ in truth and sincerity and love, as against 'through-the-pain' or 'in-faith' - which for most people is more of an exchange/bribery process with God.
9. In the spiritual and natural, we are able to make Christ-led efforts towards our success and not just 'default' or formulaic ones. God could lead us to fast or pray directed spiritual warfare prayers. But if we just do these for formality purposes, they may be ineffective and even result in discouragement when we don't see results.
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