Making Much of God

The New Year is always a time of reflection for me. This year has started out this way and has brought to my attention some very hard questions, some challenging thoughts and a burning desire for change.

What is at the core of my life. Am I the foundation of my life? No, at least I don't want to be the center, the core of who I am. Christ is my core, my foundation, my center. I desire this, I seek this out, may He be what my life is built on and for. He is All to me. This life exists so that we might make much of Christ. We make much of Him when we realize the grace offered to us through salvation. When we truly understand this, our lives give God glory and not self. Why would we want to live a life for ourselves? This is so empty.

I listened to Francis Chan speak the other night via the live feed from the Passion Conference. He brought up a point that has really challenged me and stirred me on the inside. His question was: Does your life make sense in light of the gospel. Does your life line up with the words of Christ in the gospel? Maybe you need to read the gospel to find out. That's what I am doing. I've read the gospel many times before, and I am pretty sure my life doesn't make sense in light of it. I want to learn more about the life Christ lived and the life of the first Christians. This is my burning desire- to live in light of the gospel. That my life would make sense- according to the word of God. And with that should come some things, like we see in the Bible what happened to believers- they were persecuted, they were not accepted by the "world". I must lose my life so that I may find it in Him, I must die to self and live for Him. I'm hoping to experience some of these things for the sake of the gospel. I want to suffer for him, I want to be persecuted for Him- only so that He may receive glory.

Francis Chan told a story about his recent visit to China. He visited some underground churches there. They have to meet underground because it is illegal to worship God together. They don't have churches on every street corner like we do. Francis asked them to tell stories of some ways they had been persecuted for being Christians in China. When he asked them this they were so confused. They said "Why do you want to hear these stories, aren't they normal? Doesn't this happen to every Christian?"

When people become Christians over there they risk it all. No one becomes a Christian and floats along in life sometimes attending a church but not really living for Christ. No, it doesn't happen. They have been transformed. They live each day for Him, and it's risky. But He's worth it to them. They would have it no other way- they have been saved from sin and death. They are truly alive and God is being made much of by the Christians in China!