If there is no eternity then the present becomes something we create for ourselves and for those around us to whom we sense a responsibility.  We can handle that opportunity and responsibility any way we choose.  How we handle it will have consequences but without eternity there is no need to consider transcendence.  In other words, we will reap what we sow here and now but there is no need to consider then and there since there is no such thing as then and there.  In addition, if there is no eternity then there is no God to whom we are accountable.

However, if there is an eternity (and therefore a God who governs powerfully and personally in the here and now as well as the then and there) then the way we handle our opportunities and responsibilities is profoundly dynamic and will require that we be willing to stand for what is just and merciful in a manner that is winsome and humble, yet courageous and bold.

This is what we might consider The Dangerous Life…..a life worth living in light of eternity and the nature of the God who has authored that eternity.

It is clear to me that when I come face to face with my life, and the issues that swirl around me and those I love, that there is a need for a God who is kind enough to care and strong enough to do something about them.  I am not able to control, fix, manipulate, manage, or even understand it all.  It is too much.  And I am left to simply entrust it all to Him….not out of my strength but out of my dependence and need.  And He is there….and He is not silent.

What or who could help you deal with the temptation to be conformed to this world system?

Are you willing to daily surrender yourself to Christ and allow Him to be glorified in every part of your life?

It seems to me that it has to be based on a moral code that would establish right and wrong, good and bad, holy and profane, worthy and unworthy, helpful and unhelpful, healthy vs. injurious.

Opportunities may or may not create conflict in relation to the morality of an action. Many opportunities may be equally moral, upright, full of goodness, reflective of purity, worthy of our efforts, helpful to us and others, healthy for everyone involved. Other opportunities may be equally immoral, destructive, and unhealthy, you get the idea.

Temptation on the other hand pits right against wrong, good against bad, holy against the profane, worthy against unworthy, helpful against unhelpful, healthy against injurious. Then we are left to decide what we will do. Both have the power to draw us in its direction. The draw toward the wrong, bad, injurious is not without its reality. That draw is nothing new to our day….it has been that way since the beginning of time.

It is my experience that a simple academic exercise to move in the direction of the moral has often, maybe most often, not been sufficient. It is there and then that I realize I need the power, the presence and the person of Christ to invade my life and turn me at a heart level toward that which reflects His goodness and enriches my life and the lives of those who are in the wake of my less than perfect life.

So, to engage Him daily is my need…in a personal and communal exchange of thoughts and truths, of grace and humility, of adoration and being adored.

Does our faith look more like a defense of ‘traditional Republican political dogma’ rather than a proclamation of the life, death and resurrection of Christ as payment for the sin of the world and each person on planet earth?

Are we willing to forfeit our freedom in Christ and give up some legitimate rights for the cause of never losing a platform to share the good news of life in Christ that can begin right here and right now and makes life profoundly different now and for eternity?

Are there people in our lives who we could engage… those who are different, those who are indifferent, those who are antagonistic, those who are skeptical, those who are unsure, those who are wounded, those who are lonely, those who are like sheep without a shepherd…introduce them to the one who created them and loves them?

Unfortunately it is safer and easier to live inside the bubble and avoid those who may not look like they fit.  We often want skeptics and inquirers to ‘convert’ to our culture before they engage the person of Christ.  We subtly say to the world, please look acceptable (whatever that is) so we can accept you.  Jesus said come to me whoever you are and whatever you look like and our relationship will move your heart to the place of desiring to look and act like Him.  The really unfortunate thing is this, the image that many Christians give is radically different than that of the image of the reality Christ.  He is much more gracious, exciting, and scary than we are.  We are often more judgmental, boring and predictable.  So, let’s take the unnecessary stuff out of the way so the free gift of Christ can be given freely to those who can not afford it, or more importantly, to those who can not afford not to receive the free gift of life in Christ.

It seems so important that we deal with the issues of life, both those that come at us and those that emanate from us….but we often seem clueless on how to do it. I wonder if we have lost sight of how at our core we desperately need our ‘wiring’ to be restored and redeemed so that our relationships are not undermined by the unsolved ‘issues’. And how about the profound possibility of engaging God as the central issue of life for from Him comes an ‘orderliness’ that heals and aligns our minds and hearts? Maybe is it so simple (without being simplistic). What do you think?

It will take a radical decision of the heart and head to not miss Christmas…are you radical enough?  Do you dare to break free from the things that hold you back from finding Christmas?  Do you have the courage to stop and go eye to eye with your Maker and surrender to His majesty?  Are you willing to risk finding the love of not only your life but of your eternity in the presence of God?

Go for it….let’s do it together…let’s invite our friends, family, and neighbors to do the same with us.  Let me know how it goes!