Secured

To get a context for this post, read James 2:14-28, Phil 2:1-18, Romans 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 13. But don’t just read the text. Read it within a context of Christ-likeness to which all Christians (what else does that mean?) should be devoted. Christ-likeness calls us to sacrifice, service, and full devotion. If He is truly Lord of your life, what does that look like? After reading those texts, you can start to see where this post is rooted and maybe won’t think I am quite as crazy as I sound.

I once believed whole-heartedly my future salvation was 100% secure. Call it the “once saved, always saved” view of things I guess. However, I continue to move further away from this belief as I read (and study) more of scripture. I hear people around me talk all the time about being saved, but I wonder how many of these people really spend even a minute thinking about loving others, serving others.

I need to be completely forthcoming in this regard: I am really no further along in this than those who say “I am saved” but serve only their own ambitions and desires. In fact, I might be miles behind those people. See, I recognize in myself and in scripture that I should serve as Christ served, that I should love as Christ loved. That is to say I should love and serve with complete sacrifice. Yet, I still sit here typing on my nice computer, in the comfort of my big house, with every creature comfort I could want. I will have to answer for that, but I think God will look on all of us the same way when judgment comes and His question will be, “am I LORD of your life?” Sadly, I don’t think I could answer that positively today. I am still too tied to this culture I am in and trying “to serve two masters.”

It should be easy to just act on my belief, my faith and give up all of this “stuff” that holds me captive. And, I think if it were just me, I would probably do so tomorrow. But this is where I KNOW I am miles behind other people who are (or choose to be) ignorant to this issue: I am consciously choosing to continue in this mode. I am unable to justify taking my family into this place of full devotion the way I have come to see it. Why? Because I have led them to this point of cultural saturation. Should I be the one to lead them out? Of course, but I am afraid of what that would mean for the “happy” family. I am taking steps in that direction, and I hope that God will bless the steps in my process. I hope that He will strengthen me, my family and will be with us as I transition our family to be His servants and true reflections of Christ.