Late...again

Well, I'm late to the office. Here it is, 8:33 on Tuesday morning and believe it or not, my blog is the first thing I'm attending to this morning. Why am I late? Well, the truth is that I just couldn't let Wyatt go. I love that kid, he is absolutely amazing. I wish I could bring him into the office with me and just hang out with him while I work. Of course, the largest problem with that is that I would get nothing done; I would just hold him and stare at him (It's amazing how you can stare at your child for hours on end).

However, all of this talk brings me to an important point in the life of our church and in the life of individual Christians. I have to admit to you that this morning I am a bit off schedule. As a matter of fact, that seems to happen to me a lot lately since Angela and I have been in transition, but I have to move beyond that. You see, just as I wrote about last week in Samurai Christians, discipline is one of the key ingredients in the Christian life.

Somehow, we as Americans have dummed down the Christian life to be nothing more than showing up on Sunday mornings. We have even dummed down the church on many occasions, reducing it to a series of meetings throughout the week with no real commitment outside of those scheduled services (Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and various meetings of course). Instead of reducing the church to a series of meetings, what if we began to see church involvement as our life...the way that we related to Christ and others, not the country club to which we are a part.

The Normal Christian Life, as Chinese author, Watchman Nee wrote about many years ago, is not the lackadaisical life of many Christians today who warm the pews of our church. The normal Christian life is one of self-sacrifice for the kingdom of God. So, what in the world am I talking about in all of my "jibba jabba" (as Mr. T used to say) this morning? How much time have you spent alone in the Word of God in the past week, or on your knees in prayer? I'm sure that many of you have spent time in your church this week, but how much time have you spent trying to bring others through the doors with you? Have you shared your faith in the last month, year...ever? Where's the discipline and the commitment?

We must tread lightly lest we begin to equate church membership and attendance with commitment. You see, the committed church members aren't just the one's who show up, they are the ones who SHOW OUT for the KOG (Kingdom of God). But remember, showing out will only be possible when you have been disciplined in the little things...look here at what Jesus had to say. Do the small things first, and then watch how they affect the big things in your life. I've got to stop looking at Wyatt some of the time and get busy about the Father's business. What do you need to do...or stop doing?

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