Why Bother?

Why Bother?

Initially, the emphasis is on eternity. You want to be a Christian so you can be certain you’re in the right line after you die. And if Heaven and hell turn out to be fictional, still you want to make sure just in case.

Beyond that, things like going to church and reading your Bible are noble exercises. Being moral is a good approach in the way that it allows you to avoid the pain that often accompanies the consequences of debauchery.

But is that it?

Is the whole point of being on top of your game spiritually nothing more than just being “nice?”

Absolutely not.

The life worth living is the one where you are fierce on the battlefield and you are a gentleman in every other arena. You reek of excellence, honor and strength. Rather than cave in the face of temptation to be less than who you are, you stand, you endure and you win. And not just in the realm of moral dilemmas where your resolve is being tested in the context of sexual pleasures or unethical practices. However toxic or frequent they may be, those are juvenile and insignificant when compared to the real struggle and the real prize.

There is a war being waged every waking moment of your life between the lesser version of yourself and the one that God created to achieve and to thrive. To hit that mark – to claim that victory – you have to engage an enemy whose sole purpose is to see you fail in every category that matters. His tactics are as subtle as they are lethal and however determined you may be, your defenses are pointless. You will fail, you will lose and you will hurt.

The world is full of wealthy disasters, happy fiends and clever fools. Measuring your influence and success by goalposts that never stop moving is pure folly. What matters most is what outlasts you and it’s your character that serves as the foundation upon which your true success is built. That is your top button. Everything else is either compromised or complimented by the substance of who you are.

Here is where Christ makes all the difference.

To refer to it as “good news,” seems like a pathetic understatement. It’s not just a “positive report.” It’s not just the prospect of a temporary reprieve. It’s a Divine Guarantee that you can win every time (Rom 8:28, 37; 2 Cor 2:14). The war that had to be fought and had to be lost is now a war that is already won – it’s just a matter of choosing the Weapon and the Resource that renders even the most diabolical of Satan’s schemes harmless. In end, you are more than your best because now it’s the Son of God in and through you. It’s not just bravery, it’s Perfect Courage. It’s not just strength, it’s Perfect Power and it’s not just a fortunate circumstance, it’s a Divinely orchestrated opportunity.

You study the Word of God and you converse with your King to ensure that you are facing every moment in a way that translates to the best possible outcome according to the True Muscle and the Perfect Mindset afforded to you by God and purchased with the sacrifice of His Son.

That’s why you study Scripture. That’s why you go to church. That’s why you pray and that’s how you triumph over every impulse to be less than the man God created you to be.

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