I was in a tough spot in
life, and at the pits of my immorality.
I truly found joy in making other people miserable. I can’t
tell you how often I cringe over what I used to be, and how I treated people.
I have nothing and no
one to blame but myself. It was what
made me happy at the time. It’s how I
got my thrills in life.
But, 3 years after I
wrote that post, I would be erasing it physically and symbolically forever.
Something died in me
when I was 19. That was my desire to live only for my enjoyment at the costs of
other people’s comfort and peace. I died
to myself and came alive to Christ.
There was nothing
special about the moment. No fireworks,
no audible voice, just a whisper in my heart on Easter morning 2000, that said,
“Greg, let’s turn your life around.
Starting today, you will have a new profile status, and it won’t be
focused on you. You are going to live
for me now.”
Later that day, I erased
my status and replaced it with a new mental status that reminded me constantly
that I was now a disciple of Christ, living in obedience to him, loving him and
others with all my heart, soul and mind.
What a change! A change I could not manage or accomplish on
my own. I was set on a course of
destruction and misery when the Lord rescued me from it and placed me on a path
of life.
2 Corinthians 5:17
reveals what exactly happened to me, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” My status update today continues to read
“Disciple of Christ”. But, I don’t post
it on Facebook, or my twitter account. Rather, this is something that is posted
on my mind and heart, as I remember daily that I am his disciple, longing to
fulfill the command to love one another just as myself.
How about you? In one sentence, what would you say your
life’s status is? Write it out if you
need to. Think about it for a minute,
but summarize your life’s ambition in one crisp, clear sentence.
Now compare that to the two ways of
living in 2 Corinthians. Does it match
up with the old way of living (which is outside of Christ and is summarized by
a life that is aimed to please only oneself)?
Or does it fit with the new way of living that aims to follow Christ and
to live in obedience to Him?
The Lord can update your status to a new
one that has real purpose in this life.
If you are tired of living for yourself, listen for God to whisper in
your heart saying something like, “Today you are going to start living for
me. Let’s update your status to disciple
of Christ.” In fact, he might be
speaking now.
