Post-Passion Pontification (Part 2)

You don’t have to fix into a box to glorify the name of Jesus. On the final morning of Passion ’06, Louie gave a message from Colossians 3:17 - "And whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." He talked about how it is not necessarily the pastors, ministry workers, and worship leaders who are going to bring about revival in this nation. It’s the businessmen, the accountants, the architects, the sales clerks, the dancers, the photographers, the film-makers, the designers, and the construction workers who do their job in the name of the Lord Jesus. Whatever your aspirations in life are, do them in the name of Christ. Do them to the glory of God. This doesn’t mean that you have to insert subliminal Christian themes into your work; it just means that you have to do the absolute best job that you can do and give credit where credit is due. God has given each of His children unique gifts and abilities. Do not shy away from these gifts because you think God can only be glorified with your career if you go into some sort of ministry position. He can be magnified by whatever you do, as long as you do it in His name and for His glory.

Of course, on a personal level this threw a huge wrench into the plans I thought God had for me in the future. Maybe there won’t be a change, but there are certainly some more things I have to consider and pray about now. However, as I thought about this talk that Louie gave, I began to expand the same truth to other areas of my faith.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.’” (John 14:6)

Most of you are familiar with the call to the narrow gate. Jesus is the way, and the way is narrow. Simply put, you have to allow Christ to lead you down the path of life because sin is always there, tempting you to wander. Without the guidance and strength of our Shepherd, we will surely turn aside. Here’s the fun part though: as long as you stay on that path and follow Him, mode of transportation is your choice. You can walk, run, skip, frolic, ride, drive, or fly down that path if you so please. God has created you with specific desires and He wants you to enjoy those, as long as they do not cause you to stray from Biblical truth.

Pray for direction. If you’re like me, you may have some distant thought in the back of your mind of something that you would like to do more than anything else in the world, but you just cannot see it happening. Maybe the odds are against you. Maybe there is no college program specific to what you want to do. Maybe you are terrified of the challenges that might come with it. Pray for direction. In Psalm 37:4, God promises us, “Delight yourself in [ME] and [I] will give you the desires of your heart.” What do you want?