Change The World
Change The World
Have you ever had the ambitious goal of wanting to do something huge that would change the world, or an industry, or the way people think? Ever find yourself discouraged because it hasn't come to fruition, or at least it hasn't turned out like you intended?
The goal above is indeed a noble goal and one worthy of pursuing. We would all do well to be ambitious in our pursuits and seek a higher purpose for our lives than to merely go through the daily motions and "just get by". In essence, when we have no real goal or purpose, we fail to make efficient use of our limited time and resources here on this earth. Serious goal setting, and by this I mean determining an end point that requires us to work extremely hard in the pursuit of it, is a needful thing in our lives here.
Have you ever worked hard at something? I mean really worked hard; hard to the extent that you stop at some point and look at yourself in the mirror and say, "man, you're insane!" ...and then you keep going?! Or, at some point in the process, you unlock a part of yourself in this intense pursuit that you didn't know you had within you before? You sacrifice a lot while in the pursuit, yet those things you sacrifice rarely get a second thought because you're so locked in on attaining your goal. You're so wrapped up in your tireless pursuit and singular purpose that the world fades and it's just you, your goal, and your hard work. Whether it be spiritual, physical, or mental in its nature, reaching forward to attain what others tell you is impossible, improbable, and out of your reach is truly amazing and inspiring. But just because you believe in yourself, because you have faith in God and in His promises, because you lean on the Lord to get you through, doesn't mean the rest of the world and this life go silent and ease up. If anything, the world outside seems like it strives even harder to bring you down. However, even if you have a good support system in place, there always seems to be that voice in your head who keeps fighting against you, telling you to stop, give up, what's the use?!
Consider this:
And so on it goes. You're told to suppress your godliness, it's all about the here and now, your determination to become better spiritually doesn't coincide with your desire to do better in other areas of life so reject the spiritual in favor of the physical. Can't we see that the world's "wisdom" is utter foolishness?!
Friend, do you really want to change the world? Start, or continue, aligning your life with the standards of God. Changing your life, by saving your soul, IS changing the world; they are one in the same. How, you ask? What was once unprofitable now becomes profitable. A life that was selfish now becomes selfless. Where a dim light once stood is now a beaming reflection of The Light, Jesus Christ Himself. Change the world? Start with yourself and just see how this opens your eyes to all the opportunities in front of you. Shine your light bright! Be the light in the darkness of the world about you, show others the way to salvation, be a blessing to others. This will certainly change the world like nothing else ever could (Matt.5:13-16)!
In every role in which we serve in this life, we can certainly do something to improve this world about us. Take, for instance, being a spouse or parent:
As a spouse, change the world by how you treat your mate: Men, be the head of your house, be a leader, cherish and treat your wife as Christ the church. Women, submit to your husband, be a blessing to his life, fulfill your role as help meet for him (Eph.5:15-33; 1 Pet.3:1-12).
As a parent, change the world by how you raise your kids: raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, let your children see your sincere love for God and for the souls of mankind so that they may emulate it; let your life serve as an example for them to follow rather than one to avoid (Deut.6; Eph.6:4; Prov.22:6).
Consider your roles in life soberly. We each are certainly changing the world in some way with our lives; either for good or evil. Which will it be for you today?
Can we have other pursuits, other goals, great plans? Of course. But let's make sure whatever we set out to do fits into the larger goal of reaching heaven; if it deters us from that goal then we need to either scrap that plan or reevaluate our methods. Let's not leave undone our pursuit of the greatest, most ambitious, and most rewarding goal of all, reaching heaven.
Can we change the world? Absolutely. The change always starts with us.
Lest we think that our roles are unimportant, or somehow insignificant, to this world and time in which we live, think about the following:
Parents, you raising your children to be godly individuals and productive servants of God, you're changing the world. Spouses, you treating one another as God would have you to do and loving one another in every way as you should and working daily on a godly marriage, you're changing the world. Christians, you who are rejecting the ways of the flesh and instead living in the ways of the spirit (Rom.8), you're changing the world. Churches, you who are abiding by the standard of God and adhering strictly to what He authorizes, you're changing the world. If this describes you, then keep it up friends, you make a difference. If you're not living up to the standard of our Savior, repent and make that change today so you can join your brethren in this fight and in the glorious goal of reaching heaven.
Think big & work hard, friends, for ours is the worthiest of all pursuits.
Live like Christ, perpetuate His cause, reach forward to the goal of Heaven.
Change yourself, change the world!
Phil.3:12-16 NKJV
"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Have you ever had the ambitious goal of wanting to do something huge that would change the world, or an industry, or the way people think? Ever find yourself discouraged because it hasn't come to fruition, or at least it hasn't turned out like you intended?
The goal above is indeed a noble goal and one worthy of pursuing. We would all do well to be ambitious in our pursuits and seek a higher purpose for our lives than to merely go through the daily motions and "just get by". In essence, when we have no real goal or purpose, we fail to make efficient use of our limited time and resources here on this earth. Serious goal setting, and by this I mean determining an end point that requires us to work extremely hard in the pursuit of it, is a needful thing in our lives here.
Have you ever worked hard at something? I mean really worked hard; hard to the extent that you stop at some point and look at yourself in the mirror and say, "man, you're insane!" ...and then you keep going?! Or, at some point in the process, you unlock a part of yourself in this intense pursuit that you didn't know you had within you before? You sacrifice a lot while in the pursuit, yet those things you sacrifice rarely get a second thought because you're so locked in on attaining your goal. You're so wrapped up in your tireless pursuit and singular purpose that the world fades and it's just you, your goal, and your hard work. Whether it be spiritual, physical, or mental in its nature, reaching forward to attain what others tell you is impossible, improbable, and out of your reach is truly amazing and inspiring. But just because you believe in yourself, because you have faith in God and in His promises, because you lean on the Lord to get you through, doesn't mean the rest of the world and this life go silent and ease up. If anything, the world outside seems like it strives even harder to bring you down. However, even if you have a good support system in place, there always seems to be that voice in your head who keeps fighting against you, telling you to stop, give up, what's the use?!
Consider this:
The substance, and/or the world, tells the addict who is striving to leave those destructive ways and recover from the abuse, "You'll never recover. You'll always be a slave to this drug, this drink, this substance, this practice. You're not as strong as those other people. You're weak, you're nothing, you're a nobody, you need this vice in your life. Ha! Like you're going to fully give this up...watch, you'll be back!"
The world tells the Christian who is striving to live a godly life, "Your pursuit of heaven is senseless and you're depriving yourself of actually enjoying your life. Why do you keep yourself from those things? That stuff you call sin is just good fun and you're missing out. Don't you know God just wants you to be happy? Besides, the bible doesn't really condemn all those things like you say it does; so much of that stuff is just man's opinion anyway. We can all go to heaven our own way, just be a generally good person and you'll get there."
The job tells the worker who is striving to work diligently and pursue things the right way (Col.3:23; Matt.6:33), "Compromise your beliefs. You can't be a good worker and advance if you hold to your morals and that 'Christian' way. This is business, there's no place here for your convictions so check that stuff at the door. Or... Forget everything and everyone else, just do your thing. Your spouse, your kids, your soul, your spiritual family, your role in life as a Christian; all that can wait. You have to climb that ladder at all costs! Your legacy, your pride, your ego is at stake! Make a name for yourself! Go, go, go!"
And so on it goes. You're told to suppress your godliness, it's all about the here and now, your determination to become better spiritually doesn't coincide with your desire to do better in other areas of life so reject the spiritual in favor of the physical. Can't we see that the world's "wisdom" is utter foolishness?!
Friend, do you really want to change the world? Start, or continue, aligning your life with the standards of God. Changing your life, by saving your soul, IS changing the world; they are one in the same. How, you ask? What was once unprofitable now becomes profitable. A life that was selfish now becomes selfless. Where a dim light once stood is now a beaming reflection of The Light, Jesus Christ Himself. Change the world? Start with yourself and just see how this opens your eyes to all the opportunities in front of you. Shine your light bright! Be the light in the darkness of the world about you, show others the way to salvation, be a blessing to others. This will certainly change the world like nothing else ever could (Matt.5:13-16)!
In every role in which we serve in this life, we can certainly do something to improve this world about us. Take, for instance, being a spouse or parent:
As a spouse, change the world by how you treat your mate: Men, be the head of your house, be a leader, cherish and treat your wife as Christ the church. Women, submit to your husband, be a blessing to his life, fulfill your role as help meet for him (Eph.5:15-33; 1 Pet.3:1-12).
As a parent, change the world by how you raise your kids: raise your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, let your children see your sincere love for God and for the souls of mankind so that they may emulate it; let your life serve as an example for them to follow rather than one to avoid (Deut.6; Eph.6:4; Prov.22:6).
Consider your roles in life soberly. We each are certainly changing the world in some way with our lives; either for good or evil. Which will it be for you today?
Can we have other pursuits, other goals, great plans? Of course. But let's make sure whatever we set out to do fits into the larger goal of reaching heaven; if it deters us from that goal then we need to either scrap that plan or reevaluate our methods. Let's not leave undone our pursuit of the greatest, most ambitious, and most rewarding goal of all, reaching heaven.
Can we change the world? Absolutely. The change always starts with us.
Lest we think that our roles are unimportant, or somehow insignificant, to this world and time in which we live, think about the following:
Parents, you raising your children to be godly individuals and productive servants of God, you're changing the world. Spouses, you treating one another as God would have you to do and loving one another in every way as you should and working daily on a godly marriage, you're changing the world. Christians, you who are rejecting the ways of the flesh and instead living in the ways of the spirit (Rom.8), you're changing the world. Churches, you who are abiding by the standard of God and adhering strictly to what He authorizes, you're changing the world. If this describes you, then keep it up friends, you make a difference. If you're not living up to the standard of our Savior, repent and make that change today so you can join your brethren in this fight and in the glorious goal of reaching heaven.
Think big & work hard, friends, for ours is the worthiest of all pursuits.
Live like Christ, perpetuate His cause, reach forward to the goal of Heaven.
Change yourself, change the world!
Comments
Post a Comment