Just finished listening to an excellent MP3 of Erwin McManus… Erwin is a gifted communicator with a huge passion for the church of Jesus Christ. He also serves as the Lead Pastor for an innovative church in Los Angeles, CA called Mosaic.
Erwin’s messages usually pack a punch. This one was no different. The message is titled “Reclaim Your Life” from a series titled Vital Signs. In the message, Erwin challenges us to ask ourselves four important questions…
These are some great questions that we all need to “hang out with” from time to time… Why not take some time today to think about your answer for each of these questions?
The time spent could change your life…
• Why am I doing what I’m doing?
Really. Why? Is it just momentum or is it mission? Is it incidental or is it intentional? Has the inertia of life just sort of taken over or am I doing what I feel called to do by God?
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV), For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
• How can I do more of what I love and less of what I just tolerate?
Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
That’s God’s promise! If we find our delight, satisfaction and fulfillment in God, He will shape our passions and desires, and that will become an incredible compass for life.
What steps can I take that will allow me to do more of what I love and less what I just seem to tolerate?
• What life changes and life choices would I have to make to create more good with my life?
Maybe I just need to spend a little more time with my kids… Maybe it’s walking across the street to meet my neighbor… Maybe it’s listening to my co-workers in the next cubicle who feel trapped in a difficult marriage or relationship… Maybe it’s leaning into the giftedness that God has granted me… Maybe it’s taking a risky and bold step of faith… Maybe it’s championing the dreams and passion of my spouse….
Sometimes the changes we need to make aren’t monumental or grandiose; they’re small and simple, but profoundly powerful.
• Have I allowed God to give me life as a gift?
This is an incredible fact that remains lost on many of us: we can’t really live unless God gives us life.
Ephesians 2:4 (NIV), …because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
It’s impossible to “reclaim” a life that you never had to begin with…
A few years ago Bruce Willis starred in a groundbreaking movie called The Sixth Sense in which he played a child psychologist named Malcolm Crowe, who was working with a troubled boy named Cole, played by Haley Joel Osmet.
Cole is terrified by visitations from people who have died. He finally summons the courage to reveal his “secret” to Malcolm. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that the movie turns on one critical scene when Cole looks at Malcolm and says:
“I want to tell you my secret now.”
“Ok,” says Dr. Crowe.
“I see dead people.”
“In your dreams?” Dr. Crowe asks.
Cole shakes his head no.
“While you’re awake?”
Cole nods yes.
“Dead people like in graves or coffins?”
Cole answers, “Walking around like regular people. They don’t see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don’t know they’re dead.”
In Ephesians 2 Paul basically says, “Before Christ we were spiritually dead… Walking around like regular people… We may not have known we were dead, but we were DEAD nonetheless, in desperate need of resurrection.”
So, the final question may be the most important question, “Have I allowed God to give me the gift of life?” Because if I haven’t, I can’t really live in the first place…
Thanks Erwin for four great questions…
How would you answer these questions? What is God saying to you?
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