What do you anticipate being different in your life at the end of 2018? Yes, I realize that many things that will be different are things that you have no way of knowing at this point. During worship today, we focused on the fact that many times in life we experience those kinds of watershed, milestone moments because of choices we make along the way.The challenge we discussed was for each of us to consider our lives and the current status of our relationship with God, and then intentionally choose to take on some specific challenges to move our level of discipleship up a notch or two.Many growth moments in life happen because we choose to intentionally go after that growth. I invite you to consider taking on some specific personal faith challenge, to join in our adventure. Perhaps it could be to address some perennial, plaguing habit that you know isn’t pleasing to God by replacing it with a positive practice that will draw you closer to Him. You might choose to find a fresh way to spend time in the scripture, thus creating a way for God to speak anew to you. For some, for real growth to occur may require their willingness to risk something they have never attempted before…finding a way to influence others for God, or a way to serve in a ministry that you never thought yourself able to do.
Perhaps what you need to attempt in order to move to a fresh level with God would be to raise your level of commitment to your church and making your participation a higher priority….even when you don’t feel like it. Perhaps moving to a new level will require you to get outside your self a bit, to move beyond your comfort zone, to stretch yourself into new opportunities, in new environment, with new people.
What if you became actively involved in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, instead of just donating dollars? What if you engaged with people of a different generation in an effort to understand them and help make their lives better? What if you spent time with that lonely person who lives alone, whose family is no longer around? What if you told your pastor you want to help out at your church, and are willing to take on any task he or she needs help with at this time? What if you simply decided that you are going to go through 2018 doing more than just coasting through life?
If you come up with a challenge, I invite you to share it with us, or even with our readers, as your idea may spark someone else to take on a similar challenge.This coming year could be a year in which God changes you beyond your wildest imaginations, and maybe even changes the world through you and people like you. Could be pretty cool to be part of that kind of movement, couldn’t it?
