This topic hit me like a brick wall when I started doing some lifting this morning because of certain frustrations that come up from life. I never realized it nor even considered it a concern, but recently with stuff from my time in Iraq coming back I'm almost shocked that I hadn't truly acknowledged this as an issue.
Here's what's been going on. For close to half a decade I've had the thought that I should be dead no question about it. The night I was wounded by the I.E.D., I should of died and for some unforeseen reason God decided to save my life yet again. The first time you might ask was when He sent His son to die on the cross so that everyone of us may have eternal life. This thought has been subconscious and hardly even recognized by me at all. I can look back through my memories and a lot of the time when I talk about what I did in the military or Iraq that's usually one of the things that I talk about. That's this conversation shouldn't be happening, but it is.
Please don't ask me what God's plan is or what His intentions are because I really don't know. What I do know is this: I believe that there is some greater purpose to my life that God saw value in saving me and returning me home to the family that loves. I'm truly grateful of this time I have been given, but I'm struggling to accept such a mighty gift because the greatest gift one person can receive is life which was first given by God our Creator. Just about everyday I wake and have this thought that I shouldn't even be here, but I am so I guess now the question is: "What do I do with the time that's been given to me?" I think some people would say enjoy life, experience everything that life has to offer, have a wife and kids(which is oddly enough something that I do want lol!), or do whatever you think you would want to do.
This is the truth of the matter. I've come to the conclusion that I would rather do what God has set before me because I believe in this verse from the book of Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10: " For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." I believe this is another reason why that God spared my life on the day that which of I should of died. I do believe that there is more to this journey then what I've experienced already which means that there is a lot of living left to do.
I remember a quote from a sermon in which one of my pastors was talking about a friend that he lost to cancer if memory serves me correctly. As the pastor was dying he said this quote, " I've spent most of my years here preaching and doing my best to show on to live for Christ and now I'm going to show them how to die for Christ." The pastor had 6 months to live and I can't imagine what that must of been like. The part I want to focus on is where he talks about "living for Christ" which is a phrase that is to easily slung around. This phrase "living for Christ" means that we are living for a greater purpose then ourselves, a career that we want, and anything else that might be placed a head of living for Christ. I know, I know lots of people say this and few act it out, but I think what needs to happen is that people need to have a better understand of what it means to truly be a Christian honestly. If we look at these passages from Philippians 1:21 and Galatians 2:20 I think we might be able to get a good picture of what it possibly means "living for Christ."
Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." What I believe this author is talking about is what people don't grasp in our modern day Christianity which is if we are to live as Followers of Christ, that we are to do everything to the glory of the one who saved us, who's blood was spilled on the cross, but it should of been our blood.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." This verse makes in crystal clear that we are live for Christ if you ask me and that we are to live a live that is Christ like, we are to be transformed so that we look more like Jesus and less like ourselves.
So this is what I've realized in my own life and I know I have my own downfalls simply because I'm human and not perfect. I know I make mistakes, stumble, fall, and do everything else that we as humans do, but it's how you handle those situations that will help transform into the imagine of Christ. One thing that I have a problem with is telling people I'm a Christian, my actions should show it by the way I live my life, talk to friends, handle situations, and every other aspect of life. To me being a Christian should be an outward expression of what Christ has done for us. That we may live our lives for something greater then ourselves. Yes, there will trials, pains, and everything else that life and the devil can throw at us, but in those moments which is all the time we need to rely on God to get us through not ourselves. SOOOOOOOOOOO be transformed!
© Nathan Fahlin
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