MAY 2015 - LiveSent

This semester we have been focusing on what it looks like to be a follower of Christ during our Wednesday night Bible Study.  Throughout the month of May, we are challenging our students to ‘live-sent.’  This is an intentional lifestyle that is focused on loving God and loving other people.  We often think of success in our culture as what you gain personally in life, but Jesus challenges us to think of success as the difference we make in the lives of other people as we live-sent.   

Living Sent means that we must first be truly alive.  The Word of God tells us we are all born into this world spiritually dead.  This is true not just because of our sinful behaviors, but inwardly we have a corrupt mind and a hardened heart.  We sometimes attempt to fix this in many different ways, but only Jesus can save us, repair our brokenness, and reconcile us to God.  Even for those who have committed their lives to following Christ, we too often try to make ourselves good for God.  Our lives sometimes are more reflective of a personal to-do list rather than a love letter for Jesus.

Reading the Word, going to church, praying, serving others….those are all great things, but sometimes we do those without Jesus as our central focus and our end goal.   We can get more caught up in our own performance for God where WE are the focus as opposed to simply living for the glory of God.  Living for God is not about focusing on our personal performance for Him, rather it is abiding in Christ, resting in Christ, and dwelling in Christ.  To truly live is to experience abundant life in Christ, to daily lay down your life in devotion to God and to other people.    

 When we understand what it means to truly live, then we can be sent with great intentionality.  The Bible declares that Christians are the light of the world, a city on a hill, ambassadors of God, fishers of men, and a love-letter of Christ.  We have a message to proclaim and display that has been written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  Every aspect of our lives should declare the Gospel message.  Our lives should be a constant display to the world of the love, grace, and mercy of our Lord Jesus. 

As Christians, we are to be known for our love, our love for God and our love for others.  God wants our lives to be a message to the world that points everyone back to Him.  We all have spheres of influence where our lives are on display…home, work, school, neighborhood, church, community.  What message is your life proclaiming to those around you?  Let’s pray that God will help us all live-sent.  May our lives not be marked by our own personal accomplishments but rather by the impact we have had in the lives of other people for Christ and His Kingdom.