Living By Design and Not By Default: Part 2

The gist of Part One was simply to realize and understand that God as Creator knows more than we as His created do about the nuts and bolts of life, who we are in Him and how we act and react to our circumstances.

I find it interesting that so many times we try every conceivable avenue in our own strength to figure out our circumstances before we turn to God in prayer as a "last result". Another way of putting it would be to say that for whatever reason, sometimes our true beliefs are characterized more often by our lack of action than by the precepts we'd like to think we embrace.

Unfortunately, the very root of what we're saying to everyone around us through our actions is, "do as I say, not as I do." James had this very discussion in his epistle when he essentially said, "I'll show you my faith...by my works!" In other words, people should be able to look at our lifestyle habits and know what we believe without us having to try and convince them one way or another with the words of our mouth. 

What would anyone in their right mind find appealing about a Christianity that is characterized almost exclusively by, "We don't drink and we don't chew and we don't run with girls who do?" Our success in life shouldn't be a testament to our ability to avoid certain habits and practices as much as it is simply a byproduct or the end result of a Christ-centered, biblical worldview. We are something, and therefore merely reflect the thing that we are. 

(Note: You have already been doing this since the day you were born. Who you think you are has EVERYTHING to do with how you portray yourself to the world around you!) Cue "All He Says I Am" by Cody Carnes. 

Let me put it this way, Jesus said a lot of things during His time on this earth, but if you REALLY want to know what He believed about you, look at His actions. He said that He loved us, but then He willingly sacrificed His life to prove it. We say that we love Him...