What Makes a Christian a Christian (PART 2)

If the Christian's sole objective is to love God and people, what keeps the Christian from doing so?  The short answer is: DISTRACTION.  Christians are distracted by many things: bad relationships, selfish ambition, bitterness and self pity, etc.,  but one of the most dangerous and overlooked distractions of our time is definitely entertainment.  

Last night I was exhausted after spending a long day baking my skin at the beach with some friends.  It was fun, but by the end of the day I was ready to crash.  As soon as I had showered and slipped into some comfy clothing, I sank into a living room couch and briefly closed my eyes.  While stretching out my tan (okay, RED) hand to grab the TV remote, I dimly recalled that I had not yet had fellowship with God that day.  My conscience struggled a bit with my flesh before a juicy episode of Mom Swap determined the battle.  I sighed, slightly troubled but relieved to have hit the "snooze" button (which also happened to be the power button of the TV remote I held lazily in my lobster-colored hand).

   It wasn't until later that I allowed myself to clearly perceive just how wasteful I had been with my time, and how little I had regarded God. 

While it is tempting to take such little "breaks" from reality, these breaks are more accurately described as "cracks" or "rifts" in our relationship with God.  If the devil can make us believe that forgetting about God for a little while is okay, he has won a great battle.  A distracted Christian is as good as a dead Christian, for it is in loving God and people wholeheartedly that God's kingdom is built up.  We hurt the enemy most when we love the Lord with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  It is hard to wield a sword when one is already wielding a TV remote, gaming device, iPod, candy bar, Miller Lite, or...you fill in the blank.

This morning I read Judges 2, which is a historical account of one of the instances in which the Israelites rebel against God by worshiping other gods.  The chapter really spoke to me; like the Israelites, I am oftentimes distracted by the "gods of the land" (entertainment) and do not always listen to God's appointed "judges" (spiritual leaders in my life).  Because of my spiritual harlotry, I experience unrest in both my family and spiritual life.  I do not believe I am alone.

Christians, particularly in America, will fall not because they lack the resources or knowledge to retaliate against the enemy, but because they will be too busy sucking on candy-coated stones that will choke their voices when they wish to speak out against injustice, and too busy battling vampires and zombies to engage in real spiritual warfare.  It is not yet too late for Christians to be Christians and seize the religious freedom with the hands that formerly held TV remotes and  forks and Wii guitars.

Today, let us put God first and serve Him with pure hearts and wide open eyes.  As Keith Green once declared in a song, let us sleep no longer.  We have work to do, people to love, and one amazing God to praise!

Ardently Yours,

Megan