I’ve been reading Jon Acuff‘s new book Start.
So far, it’s a very good read, and it’s encouraging because it addresses directly (and almost exactly) what I’m experiencing in my life right now.
In Chapter 4, Jon asks two questions that have impacted my perspective.
Here are the questions:
1. If I died today, what would I regret not being able to do?
2. Are those the things I’m spending time doing right now?
I’ve thought through my startling-long list of answers to Question 1 and that led to my answer for Question 2: “Not so much.”
One of my regrets is that I haven’t lived my life in such a way that people see me and consistently see Christ.
I want to live in such a way that people see me not only as a Christian, but as a fully devoted follower of Christ. I want them to see a broken man who has been redeemed, someone who has a salvation story to proclaim, someone who never hides or is burdened by his faith, someone who loves like Christ, and someone who serves like Christ.
It’s a challenge to live that life.
But there are people in our churches who live like this. These are the people who excel at the type of church marketing we address in this blog. They are walking billboards for Christ. You encounter them and you feel loved and cared for, and you know they’ll lift you up in prayer if you’ve asked for it or not.
I wonder…what keeps me from living that life? What obstacles do I need to clear to be able to be that person?
The answer is simple.
Everything I don’t give over to God.
Every idol I cling to. Everything I’m unwilling to release because I don’t want to be left in the lurch if God decides not to fulfill his promise that life will truly be better in his hands.
The reality is that God doesn’t break promises. And he promised us that a life lived seeking him would be a life well lived.
If people see and experience us living our lives as fully devoted followers of Christ, there should be no regrets.
Who are the people in your life, your church and your community who exemplify a life lived in full devotion to Christ?