I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13)

What are you going for in your life? Is that a question you ask, or do you just go with the flow? It’s the case that we’re all part of something that’s larger than ourselves as individuals. We’re part of a family; we live in a community; our community is within a region, a state, a country, a continent. There are various currents that impact our circumstances: our ethnicity, our race, our “standard” of living. In America we have opportunities to improve our circumstances—theoretically; some folks more than others. In any case, our circumstances often allow for a measure of advancement, or at least movement. If our parents made a living a certain way, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we’ll choose the same vocation. Generations ago people often followed in their parents footsteps; not so much anymore. Lots of factors come into play as we try to make our way in the world, but, in general, there’s an opportunity for advancement, or at least a change in the manner in which we support ourselves. And our goal in making such choices involves an attempt to improve our circumstances. We want to do something that’s more rewarding: financially, and, perhaps in terms of our interests. We may not want to labor in building construction, or run a business, because we’re more interested in science, or politics…, whatever. The common goal is to improve our situation, make more money while, hopefully, doing something that can spark our interests. I know I’m idealizing this effort; many people are just glad to get what they can get. But no matter what your circumstances, improvement would probably always be welcome. Get an easier job, one that has better benefits; something that might even fulfill a lifelong dream. Along with these particulars is the impact of finding a significant other and the prospect of marriage…and a family.

It’s the American dream isn’t it? I know that there’s a lot of variation on this theme nowadays, but this blog speaks primarily to a Christian audience whose values are informed by the Bible. Along with that emphasis it’s still the case that we generally seek to improve our circumstances in various ways. We have goals in mind that often include greater leisure, less financial pressure, more opportunity for diversion, while, at the same time, looking to the Lord for our wellbeing, acknowledging His provision in all that we have. That sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Nothing wrong with that is there? We make use of opportunities to improve ourselves, while recognizing the Lord as our provider. Amen. The question to be asked here is: how long have you got? There are no guarantees, at least in this life, even for Christians. Things can turn around very quickly when the economy goes kaput or illness sets in. We don’t wish that on anyone, but whether you’re a Christian or not, life can take unexpected turns, and often does. As followers of our Savior, we can have confidence in our God to see us through whatever circumstances come our way. And that’s alright. We need to rely on Him for everything, and He’s willing to walk with us through thick and thin. However, my purpose for bringing this up is not to discourage you in your reliance on Holy God. My purpose is to challenge you in your approach to choosing the direction of your life. This is something to be considered by everyone whether young or old; whether a newly reconciled Christian or one who has been following the Lord for decades. What is your life about?

This reminds me of an old movie in which there were some serious challenges leveled at the principle figure in the story. The man had lived his life in the backwoods of Kentucky in the early 19^th century. Through family connections he found his way into a town where he was employed by a relative who owned a business enterprise. The goal was for the man to learn the business so that he could eventually take charge of it. While he was there a man representing the “territory” of Texas came to town on a river boat. His goal was to recruit people to come to Texas, populate the area and establish homesteads for themselves. Texas was presented as an opportunity for people to acquire their own land and to secure their own fortune in the process. The problem was that it was not well developed yet and homesteading there would be arduous and involve substantial danger. It would be an adventure, and a treacherous one, and the man had to make a choice between the comfortable life that he was leading in a well-developed community, or the challenge to establish himself in a new environment that offered greater opportunities. In my mind the story acts as a metaphor for the Christian life. It’s easy for us to get comfortable in our Christian surroundings. We can pursue a good life that is informed by our faith in the Christ, living our lives as comfortably as possible, participating in our Church and being encouraged by the truth of the Gospel. There’s nothing wrong with that…if that’s what the Lord wants.

The question is: what is the Lord saying to you? Or are you even listening to Him in this regard? Have you considered that the Lord might have something else in mind? I remember when I became a Christian back in the 70s the atmosphere was informed by revival. The country had gone through the turmoil of the counterculture revolution and the Vietnam War in the 60s; but as the 70s progressed the Lord was on the move. It was a season of revival. Charismatic movements emerged in various established churches and independent fellowships informed by revival were developing as well. It was exciting! And in the midst of it was a strong missionary impulse. I was attending an evangelical Christian college at the time that contributed significantly to the training of students bound for the mission field. Every year there was a week-long emphasis in our chapel services that focused on missions. Representatives from various mission organizations were in attendance. It was exciting as well as challenging for me, and it prompted me to really ask myself—and our Father—whether there was a call on my life to engage this effort. At the time there was a well-known Christian musician who was associated with a ministry in a town near the college. He had engaged in some mission activity himself and was a person of notoriety who was influential at the time. It happened a long time ago so my memory is a little spotty, but as I recall: during this time that I was being challenged to consider missionary work, this man addressed the subject by saying that, “unless you’re called to stay, you need to go.” And that approach informed my contemplation regarding missions. I came to the conclusion that I was called to stay, and I’ve been informed by that posture ever since. Even though I remained in America I tried to approach my walk as an effort to contribute to the furthering of the Gospel through the local church; that was my “mission”. I’ve never been much of an evangelist, but my involvement in the church has always been done from the standpoint of a calling to serve. I’ve meandered at times, making attempts to realize a christianized American dream, but the Lord has never allowed that to go very far. In the process I’ve taken some terrible risks involving the direction of my life, but the Lord has always guided me in the way I should go; a way that has proved to be out of the ordinary but most fulfilling. To do this I had to make choices that were questionable even by members of my own family; and I had to be willing to appear as a “failure” of sorts in comparison to other people with whom I had grown up.

Of course the greatest example of this posture is our Savior. Before Jesus actually embarked on His ministry He was confronted by the opposition and tempted to acquire what the world could offer. In essence He was tempted to focus on material things, notoriety and prestige (I’m referring here to the temptations presented to the Lord by the devil in Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus knew who He was, but was also was affected by His very real humanity. The temptation was to succumb to what the world could offer Him: material comfort, fame and fortune. Of course the Lord was greater than that and fulfilled His calling, providing an example for us as well. It’s the case that the world offers opportunities for many things that go beyond mere survival. There’s the opportunity to have more than we need in order to provide a cushion against unexpected circumstances. There are opportunities to achieve recognition for our abilities, to prove to ourselves and to others what our capabilities are, and to be duly recognized as a result. That’s what the world offers and, sometimes, that’s what the church emphasizes. I’ve seen churches go belly up because they gave undue attention to people based on their financial status or their achievements in their chosen vocation, while failing to assess the level of their spiritual maturity.

The Lord’s agenda focuses on an entirely different premise than what the world values. Succeeding in this world may be achieved in the process of serving the Lord, but it’s not the basis for what can be called a successful life. A successful life for the Christian involves serving the Lord’s agenda first and foremost regardless of how well it parallels with the world’s assessment. And the choices that need to be made along the way may render you conspicuous and even puzzling. The great example of this is the Apostle Paul. This was a man who was in good standing within the Jewish community. He was an educated man, zealous for the practice of Judaism and distinguished as an opponent of what was determined to be heresy: the Christian understanding of God and the resurrected Christ. Becoming what was probably the most significant missionary in Christian history was not an easy journey for Paul. And because it was unprecedented, the Lord had to provide significant evidence for the validity of the call that He had placed on Paul’s life. (Acts 9) Most of us are not going to be asked to engage a path like Paul’s. But I think that all Christians will be prompted to pursue the Lord’s agenda if they’re willing to listen. And the question is: are we willing to listen? Are we willing to allow our lives to be understood as a calling to serve the Lord in the capacity that He stipulates, or are we going to “Christianize” the path of “our own” choosing? Are we willing to take the risks involved in following after the Lord like Matthew did when he left his job as a tax collector? (Matthew 9:9) Listening and answering a call by the Lord is a different way of thinking about life that builds on our foundation of accepting Christ as our Savior.

The Kentucky frontiersman made that choice. Instead of sitting it out in the relative comfort of town life, he got on the boat and headed down river with his companions. And as they were departing he declared that he was choosing to “live it bold.” He was going for it! The difference is that he was going for all this life had to offer regardless of the risks. The call that the Lord places on us is to consider all that the Kingdom has to offer and Go For It.