One area of waste in our lives is our willingness to focus so much on our past, our weaknesses and our sin battles, that we forget about our real purpose in life; namely to Glorify God with our lives! We slowly slip into this deception that life as Christians is more about us than Christ; more about our needs than the needs of the hurting and lost.
So to me a wasted life is one that is spent doing all the spiritual exercising (going to church, praying, memorizing scripture, gaining knowledge, attending bible studies, listening to sermons online, reading books, going to seminars and conferences, etc.), YET there is little to no fruit for Christ! That is the key.
Fruit in our lives is the evidence of our Faith in Christ. James puts it perfectly when he says, 'I will show you my faith by my works'. It’s not doing all the right things to satisfy our consciences or religiously/legalistically following a list of "to-do's" to ensure salvation; it’s getting past the feeding of ourselves and utilizing our knowledge! It's not becoming so stuck in the past that we never move forward. We are here for a purpose far beyond ourselves!!
Fruit in our lives is the evidence of our Faith in Christ. James puts it perfectly when he says, 'I will show you my faith by my works'. It’s not doing all the right things to satisfy our consciences or religiously/legalistically following a list of "to-do's" to ensure salvation; it’s getting past the feeding of ourselves and utilizing our knowledge! It's not becoming so stuck in the past that we never move forward. We are here for a purpose far beyond ourselves!!
So, here is what I believe is one major deterrent to direct impact (ministry) and it’s nothing new, but it hit me this morning during my time in Colossians: THE WRONG FOCUS! When Christ says that we are to abandon everyone in our lives, including ourselves; when Paul talks repeatedly about dying to oneself; when John Piper talks about treasuring Christ above all else; these are the messages instructing us that there is a massive calling to Christians to not only avoid the quicksand of our past, but to live for a larger purpose than ourselves!
When I consider how much of my focus in life is spent on avoiding sin, preventing sin, resisting sin…I am realizing that it is consuming my time and energy and keeping me from effective ministry because my eyes are on the choppy water and not Christ standing on the waves. I am also realizing how much I am still attached and in love with satisfying my flesh and it’s desires. Having said that, I need Holiness! It's not JUST something God wants for me, it's something I need to experience God more fully.
The Un-Wasted life is one that looks not only forward, but looks outward! It does not forget where we have come from, but it also is not living in fear and obsession concerning the past. The un-wasted life focuses on Christ and the things concerning His Glory and Beauty!!
The Un-Wasted life is one that looks not only forward, but looks outward! It does not forget where we have come from, but it also is not living in fear and obsession concerning the past. The un-wasted life focuses on Christ and the things concerning His Glory and Beauty!!
So, let Paul speak to this now in Colossians as you spend some time with The Lord today! Notice where our focus ought to be!
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