A comfortable chair. A remote control. A 42 inch TV screen. Signs of the good life or a complacent life? You have a choice. Watch other people live exciting, rich lives or live an exciting and rich life. You can close your life off to God's Spirit in complacency and a sense of having 'arrived' socially and spiritually. Or, you can open you life to the Spirit, letting God inspire you to live life. Jesus said, "I've come to give you life, and life to the full." You can count on it, but you must get out of the chair.
Three ways
Be Flexible - If you want to control your life so much, planning every step and every move, then you risk missing God encounters. You need to have concrete goals and plans for your life, but you must allow those goals and plans to be shaped and changed by God. Encounters with God have a way of shifting plans to better move you toward greater engagement with God's mission in this world.
Be Ready - Multiple times in the gospels Jesus says, "Beware! Keep alert! Keep awake!" It's like living your life on you're the balls of your feet. Standing with your weight shifted forward on the balls of your feet allows you to move forward faster. Life with God is always forward looking. God is always doing a new thing. As you live life, live with expectation and readiness that God is up to something.
Be present - It's only when you're truly present, in the moment, that you discover the beauty of God and the small gifts God gives. Preoccupation with the past and worry about the future are wastes of time, and moves your focus away from engagement in the moment with people around you. God is present now. The incarnation of Christ is a reminder that God loves the present moment.
Bottom line: You either have great stories to tell your grandkids about the exciting things you did with God, or you'll show them a DVD of people who lived exciting lives. It's your choice.
Michael Weaver, is a pastor and co-founder of and facilitator with The Group Mind, http://www.thegroupmind.com
The Group Mind works with churches to develop deeper spiritual connections between people. Click on the link to discover more information about Mike and The Group Mind.
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