A no compromise lifestyle...

My hearts desire, deep down, is to live a no compromise lifestyle.. to give God my all. I've felt like that for a few years, though my actions had in the first year been slow to follow.. but as God is changing me inside and things begin to come a little bit faster, I ask myself.. what exactly do I mean by that? I must be clear with myself as I take the first steps in this journey.. and remember I will never "get there," as this journey never ends.. and thank God for that - the beauty is in the journey.

What a no comprimise lifestyle is NOT to me.. it's not being perfect, without sin. It is not to be set in a pattern, a habit, or... ewww I hate this word.. to be "religious." It is not to strive to follow the law. Finally, it's most definitely not an attempt to earn God's love or earn my salvation. These things cannot be earned, but we are given them.. it's all about love and Grace - on a BIG scale. SO big, we just can't wrap our mind around it.. at least I can't wrap my mind around it. Thank God I can't.. thank God I don't quite get it, that I don't quite understand it.. because if I did, well... God wouldn't be all that significant, would he?

Here is what a no compromise lifestyle is to me -
1. Believing God's word, the bible, is the ultimate standard of truth. My thoughts, opinions, and idea's really don't matter.. or at least never come before it. I don't have t0 always be comfortable with everything He tells me to do, I just need to submit, and trust Him.

2. Being intentional about reading the word (2 Timothy 2:15), about my prayer life (1 Thessalonians 5:17) , and about doing community with other Christ followers (Hebrews 10:25) - And when I say doing community, I don't necessarily mean ONLY gathering for service on the weekend. I believe I need to do live, to get involved, with other people that are walking down the path that I am.

3. To establish and put my heart into intentional relationships.. (Proverbs 27:17). I need to have friends whom I can grow with, walk towards God with, and can give me regular, loving criticizm.. who don't judge me but rather help me grow by helping me see the sin in me that I so frequently can't see.. and to embrace the criticizm so that I can grow, rather than let my pride anger from it.

4. Ridding myself of pre-meditated sin. When I catch myself in judgement of someone, or catch myself in gossip, for example.. these are things I can stop myself as I walk in these sins when I realize I'm committing them, and I believe as I get closer to God they will become less and less.. but when I say pre-meditated sin, I mean to plan on something I know isn't right. Weather it's planning on drinking a few beers on Friday night (I can't do that), going on a date with a girl who isn't a Christ follower (2 Corinthians 6:14). As I said, I will always sin, but for me to know ahead of time it's wrong, and to continue in it.. well, that's just much different - to me at least.

There's much more than this, but these are the primary things that come to mind right now.

As I look in Luke 9:59-62, I see Jesus said "Follow me." The man he was speaking to said "Lord, firs let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another man said, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say good-by to my family." Jesus replied, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

If I look at the last thing Jesus said that I spoke of here, it makes me realize if I truly want to follow Him, HE says, that I need to leave ALL of my selfish ambitions behind me. Weather that be for me to continue to compete in bodybuilding, for me to chase after a career with financial goals as my primary purpose, or for me, even to go watch movies which I just don't feel are in line with what God wants for me.. I need to leave behind things which have been important to me, things which are of no benefit in the purpose of expanding His Kingdom. As Greg Boyd said, if everything in my life doesn't fall under an over arching purpose of expanding the Kingdom of God - I am about those things and NOT about God (i.e. family, work, relationships, school, free time).

I know we've all been asked at some point what's most important to us in life. Here's the basic paradigm, and it doesn't work.

1. God
2. Family
3. Work
4. Friends

The reason that paradigm doesn't work is this... how many hours a week do we work? Typically, 40. Do we spend 40 hours with God? How about 40 hours with our family? I don't.. never have. It's not really possible. The point is this.. it should be..

God (in our families) God (in our workplace) God (in my friendships) God (in my school).

That paradigm works, and that's what I want.. that's what I'm striving for. With God's help, I pray I get in line with that.

And Corinthians 6:12 says "Everything is permissable, but not everything is beneficial." This verse is speaking about sexual immorality, but I still feel it holds true for just about everything else. I have the right to do anything, but not everything is beneficial.. I need to line my life up, all of it, with things that are beneficial with bringing myself and others closer to the reality, love, and grace of Jesus.. ultimately resulting in complete surrender to Him.

Colossians 2:16 says "Just as you recieved Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

If I'm thankful, I need to show it.. by doing this.. all of this.. each and every day of my life. This, to me is a no comprimise lifestyle.

The lyrics from a song where I meet with my family of Christ followers...

Holy Fire, burn away,
my desire, for anything,
that is not of you, and is of me,
I want more of you, and less of me...
yea...


- peace out