One thing I think about a lot is, How can I trade up? How can you and I get our minds off of our pursuit of earthly things and start being more intentional about pursuing God’s Kingdom?
How can we focus less on what we want and more on what God wants?
First, we need an intense focus. God has already proven His competence to provide for us. Time and time again, He has proven His faithfulness to us. We’ve also seen that at times He will allow what He hates to accomplish what He desires—the best for those He loves.
Second, we must keep our hearts desperate for Christ. David once wrote:
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” -Psalm 42:1
The world is moving pretty fast around us. It takes effort for us to slow down and listen to the still, small voice of God. It’s so easy for us to get caught up in other pursuits. But even in the busiest times of our lives, we need to spend time in the presence of our Lord and ask ourselves if we're really listening to what God is saying.
Third, we have to give up our hold on safety and security in order to follow Jesus. When you go public with Jesus, you probably won't be comfortable anymore. But even when it's uncomfortable, you are safest when you're in the will of our Father God.
In Matthew 7:26, Jesus said, “‘But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.’”
When you get down to it, this world is just as unstable as a house of cards. We can’t depend on it. We can't just go to church and sing worship songs and then go out and depend on the world's philosophies to get us through life.
We must be doers of God's Word.
God wants us to live a life based on His Word. He wants to see His Bride—the Church—unleashed to have a great impact on this generation. But we can’t do that if we’re constantly asking, “What’s the safest bet?”
Instead, let’s focus on taking the ultimate risk—going all in for God. The book of Acts mentions great men of faith like Paul and Barnabas who literally “risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 15:25-26).”
Are you and I willing to do the same? Will we lay it all on the line for the sake of pursuing His Kingdom mandate?
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