I have been a Christ Follower for the better part of 30 years now and I have been a Christian for over 50. There is a difference.
What is that difference? It is seen in the way I live.
The first twenty years were lived with a basic understanding and belief, if I accepted Jesus I would be saved. Though this is true, I truly was not following Him at all. My life was not a reflection of Christ, in fact, my life was a reflection of John.
This kind of life falls woefully short of the one God has for each of us. We know this is true because of a fundamental truth Jesus left us with regarding life and how we should live it. He tells us, He came to bring and give us life. A life that is full and filled with the beauty and joy of living.
As with everything, this means different things to different people. For some, living simply means getting by and getting through the ups and downs life can bring. For me it means so much more than that.
I believe each day we live is an opportunity to love and to be loved, to listen and to be heard, to give and to receive. The joy that comes from each of these is found when we live our “life to the full”.
Today, there is a paradigm that suggest we must put all that on hold. This is being promoted throughout both our world and the Church of Jesus Christ. Now we are being told we have a responsibility to live our lives differently for the good of everyone. This sounds so virtuous and feels so reasonable and right. Yet, for me it is approaching the realm of not living at all.
This represents the power of collective thought and when properly instituted removes any and all dissenting voices. If this is a true statement, then we must ask ourselves, is this what living “life to the full” looks like. Is pausing living one life worth the survival of all? I think most would answer of course it is. Even as I write these words, I can hear the bristling taking place in the hearts and minds of some who may come across what I have written.
So, if this is where you find yourself today, you must ask yourself, what will my tomorrow look like? Will it be a continuation of pause and restart, pause and restart? If so, is this the life Jesus came to bring His followers?
These are questions I am wrestling with, I hope, believers and unbelievers alike are wrestling with these questions too. If not, I am afraid we are not living at all.
You see, our first inclination should always be to question and consider what we do and why we do it. Our first response should never end with because I am being told too. Here is where living gives way to submitting and conforming. These are not byproducts of living, “life to the full”.
So, we have a choice to make if we are Christ followers today. Do we believe Jesus came to give us life or do we believe He just came so we could live?
I believe there is a profound difference.
If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you must ask yourself, should I live a life of conformity to this world or in the freedom that can be found in Him?
The opportunity to live, “life to the full” is something we chose if, and when we accepted Jesus. He said,” that was why He came”.
What we do from here is up to us. Because we are the ones who decide whether to live “life to the full” or not!
John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
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