What does a life of Following God's lead look like?

Salvation - Spiritual Resume vs. Just Jesus

I'll admit, I'm a bit of a list maker. Although my apartment isn't spick and span, I do things in a very unflowing manner. I have a rotation of tshirts that I go through. That's right, I don't pick my next shirt, the shirt I wear is whatever is next in the rotation. I don't clean the dishes or the kitchen until it is done; I clean the kitchen for 10 minutes and stop, regardless of where I am at. So for me, having a checklist of things to do is comfortable, and just feels right.

So how does this seep into my faith? Easy - every part of me just wants to put down a checklist of things that I should or shouldn't do, and just follow it. Yep, got in my 2 chapters of reading the Bible in. Read a little John Ortberg. Good, I even prayed for awhile. Looks like I was a good Christian today.

That's why the sermon today hit me so hard - My salvation is not based on "Jesus + a "spiritual resume," it's just based on Jesus. There is nothing - literally NOTHING - that I can do that is righteous enough to deserve anything in the kingdom of heaven. It's all just rubbish. I know it, but I don't live it. I still go to bed thinking, "Did I do enough today to justify a life worthy of Christ?" and go down my checklist.

So where do I go from here? What does a life of just following after God look like? I know devotionals are still a good thing, but being so structured? Maybe not. I know I'm not pushing myself enough - I want to do continue to do things that are comfortable. That's why I am still in Grand Rapids. That's part of the reason I am helping out the golf team this year. These are things I enjoy, and they are comfortable.

So on days like this, where I literally have nothing to do from 2 to 6, I am not sure what I should do. I think I should be helping somebody. I KNOW I should be job hunting. But I'd rather mess around on facebook, or look at various sports sites.

Feel free to comment. Because I'm not sure how to go from here. I just know it's not the same way I've been doing things.

Times are a changing

It's been a busy few weeks...To say the least. And decisions which I felt were made were reversed, but I'm happy to say that I am confident that the right decisions have been made. This blog may be a little me-centered, but that's what blogs are all about right? :) I feel a little narcissistic.

(I wrote the beginning of this blog before the sermon I heard today about humility. Lovely.)

JOB vs. VOCATION?

For quite a while now, it has been a dream of mine (and a buddy of mine) to just move south towards North Carolina and set up shop there after we graduated from Calvin. The idea never really had real support - we just kept plowing along sending out resumes and hoping for the best. And as we both plugged along (in different states over the summer), something interesting things began to happen. I received a job offer to stay in Grand Rapids, and I was excited. However, the more I thought about the offer, the more I felt like it was settling. Settling for something not in an area of passion. Settling for something different than what God has called me to do. So I took a bold step, that I'm not sure I would have taken even a few years ago. I turned it down. And I will continue to look.

In the meantime, I will be working at a local private country club in Grand Rapids. Nothing glamorous, that's for sure, but it's in an area of passion. I figure at the least I'll learn something, and figure out if that's an area I could see myself being in for a career. That gives me a little time to work things out.

My friend, however, did land a job...down in Tennessee. So as I continue to look for a job (likely outside of Michigan), a new focus in the Chattanooga area will begin. I don't know if I'll end up there, but it sure would be nice to see our dream fulfilled (albeit on the wrong side of the Appalachians:).

Housing

As soon as I got comfortable with my decision, I found out I would need to find a place for the next few months. Could be an interesting time in my life, but I'm excited for the possibilities.

Humility

Hard to talk about, right? Crossroads has just been hammering this point home, and I believe it needs to start sticking in me. Something to consider, that my Pastor Rod said today.

"Humility isn't thinking more of yourself, or less of yourself. It's just thinking about yourself a whole lot less."

He continued by pointing out that our gaze should be fixed on Christ, rather than on ourselves in the mirror. This is tough stuff for me. After all, I am a blogger, right? I want people to read what I have to say, or care about the opinions I have on issues. But is it really edifying in some way? Is anyone really benefiting from what I'm doing? Granted, I could be doing something less productive (like watching Mad Men like crazy - oh wait - I'm already doing that). Is this -along with facebook, or twitter, or anything else - just a colossal "LOOK AT ME, I'M IMPORTANT!" I'm afraid I know the answer, and I don't like it.

(but I'll probably still check out the analytics on this post to see if anyone read my important stuff - ugh)