Some Goals for 2009

on this past sunday, i shared my personal goals for the year. they are based on three wrong assumptions that i have continued to make throughout my life as a disciple of christ. this is the year i am going to face those wrong assumptions “head on” and crush them. you watch.

here are the three wrong assumptions:

• “i’ve got plenty of time” – this is one of the grandest of all deceptions. we think we have a guarantee of tomorrow. we act like we’ve got unlimited chances to make things right. worse yet, we think that is true of others, also.
• “i’ve got to get my spiritual life together” – again, this is another deception. this one sounds really good, though. it sounds spiritual and purposeful and mature. too bad. it’s not.
• “i can do it alone” – not only is this a deception, it is openly promoted and praised as a virtue.

man, am i duped. so i’m going to stand up and fight this year. i am not going to live deceived any longer. here are my goals:

• keep the end in mind. i want to live with a deep reverence for life and a realistic awareness that the end of my life (as well as the lives of other) can and probably will come like a thief in the night. i know that’s the picturesque language the bible uses to talk about the cataclysmic end of time…but honestly, that’s what death is. i want every relationship i have to be seasoned with the reality that it could be over at any time, and i need to make the most of the time i have.
• live with integrity. this is not simply about honesty. it’s about living a life that is fully integrated. a life where all the parts are connected and moving to a consistent end. no more “sacred and secular”. no more “church life”. no more “public and private”. just a life that is lived fully devoted to christ. everywhere. all the time. with everyone.
• build deeper friendships. i want to completely smack the pride of the independent spirit right in the mouth. i want to live in praise of interdependence. i want to embody “we” and “us” and kick “i” and “me” and “mine” right in the crot…behind. i want to elevate the concept of asking for help to it’s rightful lofty status. i want to live the lifestyle of doing it together…all the time.

i think god will be honored with this kind of effort. do you want to join me?

1 John 2:1-11

man, i don’t know about you, but i’m lovin’ going through 1 john!  i have read this letter pretty much my whole life, but this is the first time i have ever preached through it and i am seeing things that i have never seen before.  i hope that’s true for you.

the thing that stood out to me in this passage was how john writes an old command (love god…love others), but then tells how jesus has come along and re-shaped the command into a new one…a love that is defined by the life of jesus and a command for his followers to imitate that love.

jesus showed us how to love by the way he lived his life…how to serve others, to give unselfishly, to preach the gospel, to teach the principles of kingdom living, to forgive, to heal, to have compassion, to be moved to action.

in his death we see that love means to sacrifice, to have a purpose, to pay the price, to stay the course, to run into difficulty and not away from it, to obey god no matter what.

whoever claims to live in him must walk as jesus did.  yep.  that’s what he said.

so here’s a couple of questions for you to think about:

• do you consciously try to live like jesus?
• is that a realistic a realistic standard?
• what would happen if you really made this a priority?
• would life get better or would it mess up your life plans?
• would jesus live like you?
• is that a fair question?

what do you think?