This is not easy. But the end result will be far worth it. I love God more than anything. In the world today it is challenging to be someone beyond just nominal Christianity.

Obedience to God is difficult when we are bullied into compliance to the God-ignoring culture out of sheer survival. Trust in God is likewise at risk of being abandoned in favor of the glamorous seductions of might and size.

I have a fear. Or at least a worry. Our world today is more and more dumbing down the truth of the Bible or recreating it to what we want to mean. I have to be honest… I have done it many times before. I have made up my own interpretations of the Bible that I do not believe are accurate. Thank God for grace… I know how wrong I was. As I have read the Bible more, studied more, and simply just prayed more- I have gotten to know God’s heart more. Looking back on different times of my life, I have seen where religion meant more to me than my relationship with God. I have seen where, in other times also, I was stagnant. I was dry. Empty. And my relationship with God was almost non-existent.

In my pursuit of truth and relationship with God, this fear or worry that I mentioned has grown. I see people that  have no more care for their relationship with God than they do for material things. I mean this as no judgment but an observation of worry. These people I care about dearly compromise the truth of God- their relationship with him- for the sake of fitting into our culture today. They look no different in behaviors, words, conversations, attitude or even dress. Or maybe it doesn’t go that far- some of them just simply do the Christian thing but that’s all. There is no growth. No movement closer to God. Just settled. Comfortable.

I speak from experience. I have been BOTH of the descriptions. And it saddens me to see people I love do the same- become the same. I am not writing today to talk about politics, specific “dos and don’ts” of faith, or even doctrine. Simply put I challenge you the reader to examine yourself. Look at your life- all arenas of your world- and see where you fit. Do you blend right in? Do you look, act, talk, dress, etc. like our culture and world? Frankly, those are not even the right questions. Do you love God more than anything else? Pursue him. Pursue his heart, his truth, and his love. When we pursue God in our lives we begin to be different, and stand out. We cannot compromise the truth of the Bible- God’s word- for the sake of tolerance or compliance to culture nor can we remain legalistic, self-righteous or arrogant in our faith. We need love to move in us, to bring us to life in a way that brings His love and truth to the world. We then will not be stagnant or compromising.  We need to love Him with all that we are (heart, soul, mind, strength) and that love will overflow in the world around us.

I hope those reading this understand my heart. I am not trying to be judgmental or arrogant. I simply want us to pursue God together and change the world with his love, not become part of the world with some of his love. When pursue him, we can learn how to love him with all that we are, be freed from whatever sin is our lives, and live for him entirely. We are [and need to be] examples of the character of Christ, integrity of Christ, love of Christ, forgiveness of Christ, and even holiness of Christ.