It’s interesting to me that Jesus said to take up your cross daily. What does that mean?
Here’s a thought…
What you learned when you were in youth group may not fully apply when you’re a father of two kids. The context has shifted so the application needs to shift as well.
You’ve never been your age before. You’ve never been in your stage of life before. With each new day, each new year, each new stage, we need to look at how to redeem it. How to adjust to the timely realities of the present in order to honor our timeless commitment to Christ.
I’m glad you were fully devoted to Christ 15 years ago. So what?
I’m glad you had impeccable character before. So what?
I’m glad you generously gave your time and finances years ago. So what?
> What does it look like to be fully devoted to Christ with your current stage of life? With your current household income? In your current hometown? In your current job? Your current technological realities?
What it meant to be fully devoted to Christ when I was a high schooler looks completely different than what it means to be devoted to Him as a father of two, husband, Pastor, thirty something, and world-renowned cage fighter. Okay, I lied on one of those. I’m not really in my 30s.
So here’s a couple thoughts to consider. Have you taken the time to turn off the cruise control and think about your current reality? What would it look like for someone in your age and stage of life to be fully devoted to Christ?
What would it look like to redeem your current stage of life?
Another thought for you ministry leaders is this. What are you doing as a church to help those first time empty-nesters, first time retirees, first-time grandparents redeem their stage of life in the same way that you’re helping first time middle schoolers, first time high schoolers, first time college students, or first-time parents?
We cannot live IN the past, but we also cannot live OFF of the past either.
We live today, right now, in the present. So that means that we need to be fully devoted to Christ here and in that reality.
So I want to challenge you to take some time to evaluate one simple question and do so on a regular basis.
> How would someone who was fully devoted to Christ live if they were in my shoes today?
Taka Iguchi is Newsong’s Executive Pastor. To hear more from him, visit and subscribe at www.takaiguchi.com.
