Pause buttons…
I enjoyed hearing the thoughts of my friend Pastor Mario Gonzales as he spoke today at Presbytery about “moving forward in the faith”. In other words, as the Apostle Paul said of his own life, we need to learn to continually “press on”… (Philippians 3 – “I press on toward the goal for which I am called heavenward in Christ Jesus)
Mario helped us connect with the idea of “pressing on” by relating a modern day illustration from one of the great “guy flicks”; The Bourne Ultimatum. In the movie, the key figure (Jason Bourne) was continually searching for his purpose and identity in life while being on the run from certain government officials. Day in and day out they are closing in on him…but he always gets away…of course. But here’s the point, for Jason Bourne…”staying in one place meant certain death” (great statement Mario).
Well here’s my thought on this whole thing. What was true for Mr. Bourne is spiritually true for you and me. Let’s face it; there is no “pause” button in the Christian life. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t need rest times and intentional Sabbaths. God even tell us to take a time out and refresh. But when I talk about pushing the pause button - I am talking about a willingness on our part to become and stay stagnant in our spiritual lives. I’m talking about our Christian lives simply becoming a weekend event rather than a “pressing on lifestyle”. So here’s a prayer maybe for a lot of us…
Dear Lord, get me off dead center and help me to stay on the move…I don’t want to just stay in one place in my faith. Help me to live by your direction and for the greater purposes you have for my life….amen.