So there's a Youtube video that's pretty popular with a lot of people these days. It is a video featuring East Carolina running back Giavanni Ruffin doing a variety of high intensity exercises while some guy in the background delivers a motivational talk on being successful in life. The main idea of the whole thing is summed up in this quote from the video: "When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you'll be successful."
The idea here put forth in the video is that people often say that they want to be successful, but they don't really mean it. They only kind of want to be successful and therefore they fall short. I think there's something to that.
Of course, I also think there's a lot wrong with the idea of success that is put forth in the video (they are talking about making money- obviously, I think there's more important things in life than wanting to make money as badly as you want to breathe). But it's completely true that a lot of people go through life with half-hearted ideas of accomplishing a vague "something" and, consequently, they never rise above the status quo.
Jesus says something similar about being a Christian: "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his brothers and sisters, yes- even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)
This idea of lukewarmness really hits home for me. Too often, I sit around thinking nice spiritual thoughts about how life should be and I don't do anything. I want to reword the video's quote to be applicable to Christian life: "When you want Jesus as bad as a starving man wants to eat and drink, then you will be an effective follower of Jesus."
There's a verse that hangs on the wall of my kitchen in my apartment that I see every day. It says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled." (Matthew 5:17) I want that!! If I were to fall into a camp, I think it would be the camp of legalistic hypocrites. So often, it is my tendency to condemn things- to say "that has no place in a Christian's life" and then the next day I go and do it myself.
But I want so badly to be a righteous man! To be a man of unshakable virtue and character whose lifestyle points others to Jesus! But I haven't desired it badly enough. I've drank the wine of the world and eaten from the plate of hypocrisy rather than being filled with the Living Water of God.
C.S. Lewis puts it like this:
"We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are far too easily pleased."
God I'm thirsty for you!! The Spirit and the Bride say 'Come!' and let him who hears say 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life (Revelation 22:17)
God I'm hungry for you!! Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Jesus says for us to "be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect." That's a standard no one can live up to. But Jesus did it for us so that the weight of perfection has been lifted from our shoulders and we are now free to pursue righteousness! To that end, right now I'm making some life choices to try and end my lukewarm hypocrisy and start living like a son of God.
1) I'm officially abstaining from alcohol from now until the end of the school year. I've only been drunk three times in my life and that's three times too many.
2) While I've been really good about abstaining from lust (I haven't viewed any pornographic material since 2011) I can always improve. I want to be totally pure in my thoughts like Job who "made a covenant with his eyes not to look on a woman with lust"
3) I'm going to do my absolute best not to skip any classes for the rest of the year (baring necessity for sickness or something extreme like that). There's no excuse for a Christ follower to be putting anything less than his all into any endeavor.
These are 3 things that I feel are very manageable and will take me a long way in disciplining myself into a man worthy of respect. They are by no means all that I intend to change about my life, but they are the ones that come most readily to mind.
I hope that if you are reading this, you feel challenged to put an end to your own lukewarmness and join me in hungering and thirsting for the only thing that really matters in this life- Jesus. I leave you with this verse to meditate on:
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead he puts it on its stand and it gives light to every corner of the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5: 14-16)
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