Recently, I was reading the book of Galatians and was drawn to chapter 1: verse 10 where Paul talks about people who seek to please and gain the approval of mankind. This got me thinking.... If we are servants of God, shouldn't pleasing HIM and gaining approval in HIS eyes be our greatest desire?
Matthew 6:24 says "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other..".
We CANNOT serve two masters, the previous scripture clearly paints that picture, but what does that mean? It means that a choice must be made. GOD or MAN.
When evaluating my life I've come to realize that at times, I choose God with my words but not with my actions. How many times do we say "God, I love you and want to do your work.." but stop dead in our tracks when the "What-if" wave hits us like a train. "What if people think I'm crazy?..", "What if someone gets upset?..","What if I lose their friendship?..", "What if?...What if?...What if?".
Well, I'm here to offer a different "what if" scenario.
What if we stopped living our lives based on the worlds reaction? What if we stopped weighing our "should I"'s on the thoughts and feelings of man rather than the thoughts and feelings of God? What if we were to actually read the word and LIVE IT OUT? What if we were to LOVE those who are cruel to us and pray for their prosperity? What if we were to say we believe something and STAND for it? I think the outcome would be a changed world and a changed people. I've heard many people say "I want to leave a legacy, I want to be remembered once I'm gone..", however I think that's the wrong statement we, as followers of Christ, should be making. Instead we should revise it to say "I want to leave a legacy, I want GOD to further be remembered because of the life I lived". If you REALLY want to change this world for the better, bring a little more God and love into it. If you REALLY want to be remembered, be remembered because of who you were in the Lord, not because of some movie you starred in or song that you sang. If you REALLY want to be remembered, be remembered as the pure vessel who sought righteousness and light in a world of evil and darkness. If you are not remembered by thousands but are remembered in the heart of ONE whom you helped guide and direct in the word, took to church or showed the love of Christ to, I believe with all my heart that that one outweighs the thousands. It's not about how many people remember you, but about how many people remember God.
What do you want to be remembered for? What if it costs you everything? Are you willing to follow God no matter what? I encourage you to do a heart check today and if the answer is no, seek the Lord fervently to help you because it's never too late to become sold out for Christ.
So I ask, Which "what if" scenario will you embrace?
-Taylor
