I Am Doing Just Fine...Or Am I?

Hi everyone,
Have you ever gotten stuck in a rut? You hit a plateau in your life and things are just pretty much routine? A pattern where you think you are doing just fine? I mean you are surviving right and getting along fairly comfortably? You are pretty confident that you are generally a good person, perhaps who is generally willing to lend a helping hand to others. You don't go out and do anything blatantly immoral or intentionally set out to stir the pot and cause strive with someone. You're confident in your salvation but living under the guise of  just a good person living a good life for the most part and that is "good" enough for you.
So I have a confession to make...plenty of times I have been that person. And lately God has convicted me with a sense of urgency on how dangerous this mindset can be. My personality generally by rule tells me to  "blend in", "don't make waves", "don't do something that will cause people to stare at you"...for the most part I like to be on the low key of things and pretty content to fly under the radar. Not that it is bad to have a quieter personality as a constant "look at me" attitude can be a detriment to your character, but what I have particularly been feeling lately is that when our spiritual lives are in this camouflage focus, it can be very damaging and not just only to ourselves but to others as well.
I have been thinking on the late Billy Graham's life lately. Irregardless of what you think personally of the man's life and ministry, we can all agree he had a major impact in this world. A legacy that continues even beyond his life on earth. It is amazing the amount of people he spoke to and reached in his lifetime. I just want you to remember one particular thing that I will touch on later...no matter what you think about his ministry, he "sowed" the seeds, and God is the one who "grew" the harvest. As the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God's fellow workers..." (ESV)  No matter how many people actually took Mr. Graham's messages to heart and made a life change, it doesn't matter in the sense of he was not in charge of that, God was. It simply was His job to preach the Word of God with the platform that God gave him and He was faithful and did. God brought the increase. Mr. Graham did not blend in by any means when it came to his spiritual beliefs. People who are non-Christians even know who he was and what his message was about. Which leads me to ask the question...do people know without a doubt who you are? When you meet people, how quickly would they figure out that you are a Christian? Would it be evident or would they even be able to tell? Am I embodying Matthew 5:14-16? "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." I have asked myself these questions as of late.
As a Christian are you blending in as simply a good person on a plateau in life? Have you reached this point where you are basically saying this is as good as it is going to get so I am fine with who I am right now? I mean I am better than so and so, and I know I am going to heaven so that makes me A-ok. You think that you are doing all these good things and going to church every Sunday but during the week you are just skating through on what is "okay" or passible. Honestly God has brought me to guilt over this. I have unknowingly convinced myself that as long as I am doing daily bible devotion, trying to memorize Scripture, praying, and trying be kind as whole, that I am doing just fine and that is all to be expected out of me. And the answer is no! When I die, I don't want to remembered as merely a good person who loved God within the four walls of her house but left it at the threshold when she walked out the door. I want to be remembered as someone who used ever last ounce of strength in me for the benefit of God's kingdom in private and in public. I want Him to push me to be something beyond my limited vision for myself. I need to feel uncomfortable and convicted because I need to wake up to His calling instead of being content to blend in with the crowd. I believe it is such a tragedy of being mediocre and just getting by in this life when there is so much we could be doing.
And something that I have realized is this...people are always watching you. When people see in general that you are different than the norm and especially once you claim to be a follower of Christ, they watch, even if you don't think they are. Just as little children watch and mimic their parents, people continue to observe those around them  even as they grow older. Honestly, I think we underestimate the effect we can have on other people's lives. The power we have to be either a light or a hindrance, an encouragement or a stumbling block. The power to encourage people towards the truth or away from it. Sometimes we might, but most times we will never know what impact we have left in people's lives, we will never know what our words may have meant to someone, or how our acts of sacrifice and kindness may have touched someone. But I believe God uses that to remind us, that our knowing is not what it is about. It is not about our own edification or knowing how people feel about us. That could either give us a big head or discouragement. (Romans 12:3) It is about the purpose and motive in our hearts to do all that we can for His glory and honor. And to me that is true love for our fellow man. That we love them enough that we care more about their needs and eternal decision than we do about being loved equally in return. That is radical love and I want it. I want the world to see that I am different not because of anything that I have done but because of all that He has done. I want them to not see me but to see Him in me. All good that comes out of me is from Him. Apart from Him my life has no purpose and I can do nothing without Him. How many times have I gave in? How many times have I walked away? How many words I have held back because I was afraid...but afraid of what? Reputation can always be marred by human opinions. But your character speaks for itself. We need to be real and acknowledge to others we do still have our struggles, but at the same time apologize when we have failed and commit to becoming better. We need to strive every day to go above and beyond the status quo. We need to not neglect the gifts that God has given us. (1 Peter 4:10, Romans 12:6-8) There is only one of us in the whole world and God has given us a job to do and that job does not end until we draw our last breath. We cannot get caught up in the lulls of life and we cannot waste our time on this earth. Now the devil will feed us lies that tell us that we are only one person and that we cannot make a difference, and it doesn't matter but trust me we can! "...For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20 I can't imagine that Billy Graham had any idea of what his decision to follow Christ wherever He led would become. Remember our job is to "sow" the seeds and "water" them. God will do the rest. But if we sit back and just say that we are doing good enough then I am afraid we are missing out on God's best. He wants to use us in mighty ways, but unfortunately I feel very few actually take that calling or stick with it. These are hard times in our country right now, full of division and strife and the world is watching on. How are we going to react? Are we going merely just survive, look at each other and expect the other to make the first move, or take up the gauntlet and be a light in the darkness? God needs our best, not our "good enough". He wants to continually work in us and grow us. We need His fire back in our hearts to reach out to those around us and to starting speaking the words that need to be heard and doing the things that need to be done. We need Him to break our hearts for what breaks His. Now this doesn't mean that everybody is meant to speak in front of thousands of people at one time in a stadium and believe me that is OK! Maybe it is speaking to that one person in your neighborhood, church, or work who really needs some encouragement. Maybe it is reaching out to the youth in your community who are to become the future leaders of this country. Maybe it is speaking with tough but compassionate love to someone who is making bad choices and are on the path to self destruction in their life. Maybe it is simply standing beside someone in a difficult time. One thing I am learning is that nothing we do for others is insignificant. The smallest gesture can occupy the largest part of someone's heart. We can do all the bible studies in the world, donate money to every mission our church is part of, pray elaborate prayers, and have our private time every day with Him but if it doesn't drive us to do anything in response then what purpose are we really serving? Let His words drive us to our knees in prayer and then rise up, take up the cross and start walking. "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James 2:17-18 (Really encourage you to read the whole passage verses 14-26) Let people know without a doubt who you are and what you stand for before you even speak a word. Let them look at you and see Christ in you. Let them watch you and want what you have found in Him. Leave a legacy that doesn't die with you but lives on in the hearts and minds of others. "And when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!"