Compartmentalized Christianity
"The next time you’re standing in your kitchen, bedroom, or at your desk, I want you to look at drawers. Yes, drawers. ...
"Sadly, many people who call themselves Christians live functionally compartmentalized lives. Whether they realize it or not, they have divided their lives neatly into two drawers: real life and spiritual life.
"The real life drawer is the one they dig into frequently and are most comfortable with. It contains all the stuff of everyday life, like their job, physical health, friends and family, leisure, money, possessions, and daily routine.
"This drawer dominates their thinking and their doing. It’s where they expend most of their emotional and physical energy, and where most dreams will be realized or dashed. ...
"Then they have a second drawer—the spiritual life drawer. All the “God” stuff goes here. It’s the drawer for Sunday worship, small group, tithes and offerings, short-term missions trips, and the evangelistic conversations with neighbors or extended family members.
"Yes, they believe in Jesus, his forgiveness, and the eternity to come, but these beliefs don’t have a radical impact on the way they think about themselves and life in general. Their faith is an aspect of their life, but not something that shapes everything in their life ... "
"Ask yourself: on any given day, what most influences the way that I think about myself and my life? What is the driving factor for the majority of what I think, say, and do?
"The biblical narrative and worldview only has one drawer—it’s called the gospel in everyday life. Everything goes in that drawer! Scripture asserts that you were bought with a price (the life and death of Jesus), so you don’t belong to you anymore. (Actually, because of creation, you never did belong to you!)
"God has a radical, single-drawer purpose for your life. The best word for that purpose is ambassador (see 2 Corinthians 5:20). The only thing an ambassador does is represent the ruler who sent them—every day, all the time, in everything you do.
"Therefore, your purpose in life is to make the invisible presence of Jesus visible in the lives of others. You are the look on Christ’s face. You are the tone of his voice. You are the touch of his hands. You are the physical representative of his grace.
"This is your mission in every situation, location, and relationship of your life—to make the grace of the invisible King visible. ..."
"We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God" (2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV).
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" (Matthew 6:24, ESV).
When I Run I Feel His Pleasure
Chariots of Fire won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1982. It depicted the true story of Eric Liddell winning the gold medal in the 1924 Olympic Games. In one scene the twenty-two-year-old Eric explains his passion for running to his disapproving sister, who thought running was a waste of time compared to entering missionary service in China. He said, “When I run, I feel His (referring to God) pleasure.” Liddell knew God had made him fast for a reason and the Olympics were his calling in 1924.
What you might not know, was that after winning the Gold Medal, the mission field in China and suffering for Jesus’ sake was Liddell’s next calling. His missionary service in China ended up in a POW camp in 1944 during WW2. Winston Churchill negotiated his freedom from that camp but this famous prisoner of war gave up his freedom to allow a pregnant prisoner to be released. Eric Liddell died a few months later at that camp. Chariots of Fire ends with these brief words about Eric’s life after the Olympics: “Eric Liddell, missionary, died in occupied China at the end of World War II. All of Scotland mourned.”
Eric Liddell wasn't just a notable historic figure because of what he "did," but more importantly because of who he "was" at the core of his being. He was a man of great faith and conviction, who simply lived true to the calling of whom God made him to be.
Everyone has a calling.
Os Guiness has said of our callings, “Instead of, ‘You are what you do,’ calling says: ‘Do what you are.’”
Using Eric Liddell’s inspirational “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure” statement as a template, how would you fill in the following: “When I ____________, I feel God’s pleasure.“
"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).
Lost Border Collie Found Herding Sheep
Tilly, the 2-year-old Border Collie who was ejected from a car Sunday during a crash, has been found.
He was found on a sheep farm, where he had apparently taken up the role of sheep herder.
According to Tilly's owner, he has lost some weight since Sunday's crash and is now drinking lots of water but is otherwise healthy.
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RATHDRUM, Idaho -
The Idaho State Police (ISP) is investigating after a crash blocked SH-41 and Hayden Avenue on Sunday afternoon.
ISP said they are looking for people who witnessed the incident.
The crash happened when a GMC Yukon towing a white horse trailer attempted to turn south onto SH-41 when a Buick struck the GMC.
The driver of the Buick, a man from Spirit Lake, was transported to a nearby hospital and was treated and released. No one else was injured.
During the crash, a dog was ejected from the rear of the GMC and is still missing.
ISP said the dog is a 2-year-old Border Collie Heeler mix that goes by the name "Tilly". Tilly has no tail, a dark-colored face, weighs approximately 70 pounds, and was wearing a multi-colored plaid and tan-colored collar with a name tag containing the owner's contact information.
Tilly was last seen running northwest from the crash scene through the field.
No one should be surprised that a Border Collie would be found herding sheep. Some things you are just born to do!
Maybe Tilly didn’t even realize what was in him until he saw that first sheep and instinct kicked in. "Finally!" He said.
What were you born again to do?
"Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you" (1 Timothy 4:14).