Sunday, August 22, 2010

CHANGING

I pretty much grew UP in church and you knew there was this certain question you were going to get asked at some point by your youth pastor or somebody. It was: ‘So, what has God been doing in your life lately?’


And I have to confess that I would often THINK when people would ask me that: ‘I don’t have the first CLUE!‘


Well ... THAT never sounded good. So, you learned pretty quickly that you needed to make up some stuff - because whenever you said, ‘I don’t KNOW,’ they’d give you that look like - that’s BAD. GOOD Christians are always aware of what God is doing in their lives.

So, I’d MAKE UP things. (Don't pretend you haven't done this.) ‘What is God DOING in my life? Oh, my goodness, where should I start? Ummm -- well -- ABUNDANT. Yeah. He’s doing some ABUNDANT stuff - and GREAT, too. ABUNDANT ... and GREAT. THAT’S what’s happening.’


Then I figured maybe I needed to make some stuff happen - have a spiritual experience -- maybe jump and shout -- get emotionally charged -- cry or shake a little -- if I could just get more Biblical KNOWLEDGE -- if I could KNOW more -- if I could out-SERVE somebody ... and FINALLY -- I realized God had been doing stuff in my life from the moment I began having a life with Him - that whole time He’d been personally at work in me -- doing the same kinds of things in ME that He’s doing in all of YOU who call yourselves followers of Christ -- conforming us to the image of His Son, Jesus.


So if you get asked the question: “What is God DOING in your life?” you can say, ‘He’s changing me into the image of Jesus.


Let's PRACTICE that together. Ready? I'll say the question -- and then you say, "He's changing me into the image of Jesus." (If there are people around you right now, I would seriously consider saying this in a low voice right now.)


OK. All set? Here we go ... "SO ... WHAT IS GOD DOING IN YOUR LIFE?"

Your turn. " ___'_ _________ ____ ______ ____ ________ ____ ______."


Very good. I LOVE IT. Let's try it one more time.

"SO ... WHAT IS GOD DOING IN YOUR LIFE?"

YOU: "_____'_ _________ ____ _______ ____ ________ ____ ________."



And then if they ask, ‘HOW is God doing that?’ then maybe you can say, ‘I honestly have no idea. Right now it seems like my life is totally falling apart. It's a train wreck, but I know God is at work.’


That is spirituality. It’s messy but it’s real.


And be blessed.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

PK....I love your honesty in your walk with Jesus and your life. I tend to be the same way. Well, at church yesterday you asked who was going thru difficult times and needed prayer. Right now, I am pretty satisfied with my life and I have no complaints. Sure, could use some tweaking here and there, but God is good to me.

Well, this is the honesty part. I came home from church and was confronted by a very vocal roommate. She was heated and in return, I proceeded to tell her my own feelings, in an equally heated manner.

If God is working on me to be more like Jesus, then it seems it might take some time. It's not too often that I lose my temper, really, but I certainly do...and I am not at all like Christ on those moments. Truthfully, it makes me sad to know that I have failed the test again. Do you ever feel that way when things don't end up as you know God would want them to?

PK's BLOG said...

You will be amazed at how people will not only be upset and offended by your once-in-awhile verbal and vocal outrages, but also how they will be blessed, impressed, challenged and encouraged by your honest admission of the same - asking forgiveness - and moving forward with God.

mprybylski said...

On Anonymous's point, i cannot tell you how many times me and my wife woke up late on a Sunday morning, stuck a waffle in our children's mouth, ran around the house like the place was on fire, all the while arguing about who is on first, what is on second, and I don't know is on third..... Arguing all the way up to the door at church.. "Good morning I say to the greeter with a welcoming smile" My wife does the same, and then the silence, and then the glare, "Good morning pastor Kevin, Pastor John, Pastor Dan", all smiles and then the glare, and then the silence. I can actually laugh about this, both me and my wife have learned to laugh about this. I just thank God that he is not like my grade school teachers, "If you do this again ..... " "How many times have I told you...", "When are you going to get this...." I also thank God that He is not like me with the way that I talk to my own children, as I recall the way I talk to them at times and how I can do much better in that regard. I always need prayer, I always need a reminder, I always need Jesus, as I fold like a deck of cards without it.

Thanks again,

Matthew