Just Do It - Conversion

In his three minute illustration of “The Big Story,” James Choung explains that “our longing and aching for a better world seems to point to the fact that either a better world did exist or will one day exist.”

Doesn’t that make sense?

Why would we have a longing in our hearts for something that never was?

It seems that it doesn’t take nearly as much faith to believe that God exists as it does to give our lives to Him.

And as Pastor Jim White pointed out in the weekend message, it’s not necessarily that people don’t want to give their lives to God; the majority of the population just thinks they have more time to get around to it than they really do.

What are we doing with that time?

What is more important than trading a less than blessed life riddled with pain and unsuccessful attempts to find happiness for a life that is simply full of hope and grace in all circumstances?

Well, let’s see:

Partying with friends.

Attaining social status.

Landing a stable job.

Buying a (bigger) house.

Meeting the perfect mate.

Living in the moment.

The problem is every time you reach one of those goals you set another one. And the priority of developing and sustaining a relationship with Christ slips lower and lower to the bottom of the list.

On the other hand are the people who aren’t concerned with their time running out, rather their issue is control – and needing to stay in control.

And don’t we all have control issues? We struggle in our relationships with our friends, with our bosses, with our significant others…with God.

In our society, relinquishing control is a sign of weakness. Submission is viewed negatively and giving up control is viewed as losing your ground.

There is nothing good that God withholds from us.

But what is good in the eyes of the world is just that – good in the eyes of the world.

The sin-stained world full of cruelty and injustice and sorrow and just plain stupidity.

So instead of focusing on what that kind of world considers as “good,” we must turn our focus upward and give our hearts rightly back to God as we place Him in the highest priority.

Isaiah 26:3 promises that God will take care of us if we let Him. “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

It’s easy to fix our thoughts on God, it just takes intentionality. 

And the most wonderful thing about God is that if somehow our thoughts slip away, He will rein us back in.

But we must first give Him permission to do so by inviting Him into our hearts.

That seems kind of odd, doesn’t it?

Us giving God permission to do something?

He loves us so much that He understands our love for Him can’t be forced. We have to be willing to open up our hearts and allow Him in.

According to Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

All you have to do is believe.

But be warned: James 2:17 tells us “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Accepting Jesus into your heart and professing your faith is the first step.

The next step?

Doing something with that faith.

Resources

James Emery White. Just Do It. Sermon series available at Mecklenburg Community Church. 2011.

James Choung. The Big Story, Part 1. http://www.jameschoung.net/2007/09/17/the-big-story/. 2007.