[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Lifestyle of Action” subhead=”June 1, 2018 | Lifestyle” background_layout=”dark” background_overlay_color=”rgba(38,38,38,0.32)” _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_image=”https://truestoryproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Lifestyle-of-Action.jpg” custom_padding=”200px||200px|”][/et_pb_fullwidth_header][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″][et_pb_row custom_padding=”||1px|” _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”||1px|”]
I do a lot. I have a full-time job, I’m actively involved in church life and I give a lot of time to charitable causes as well. My Christian faith has a direct impact on all of these, and following Jesus’ example helps me make sense of the difficult patches.
I recently started a new job. I put a lot of effort into my work, and I think that’s a good thing. I believe God has called me to do the work that I do. Right at the beginning of the Bible, God gave Adam and Eve work to do. He set up a pattern of work and rest in creating the world and then resting from His work.
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It’s easy sometimes, though, to focus on my career as the most important thing. I struggle with this because I gain a lot of my self-worth from having a good job and from progressing in my work. If anything threatens that, I can feel pretty unstable. I need to constantly remind myself that I am here for God and for His purposes, not for my own benefit. My career doesn’t look that significant in the eyes of eternity. Walking with God and doing what He wants is far more important than doing what we can for our own good.
I give a lot of my time to charitable causes outside work as well. That’s a really good thing to do and I find it really rewarding, but there is a balance to be had. I find it easy to overcommit and out-stretch myself. Before I started a lot of the volunteer work that I do, I prayed about whether or not it was the right thing for me to do. I asked advice from a number of different individuals I trust and who know me well. I wanted to make sure that it was the best thing I could be doing with my time, that it would actually be making a positive difference and not just something else to fill out my week.
I often opt out of doing certain things for that reason. It’s important not to do too much. Jesus had a good perspective on this: He often took time out of His schedule to pray and to rest. It didn’t always look like the sensible option to the people around Him. Remember the time He slept on the boat in a storm? His disciples couldn’t make head or tail of it. Panic seemed like the logical option in that situation, but Jesus knew what He was called to do. Worrying about things wasn’t one of them, even though He felt the pains and anxiety of human experience. In living a lifestyle of action, I try to make sure that I take on responsibilities that are part of my calling, following Jesus’ example that He did what His Father told Him to.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_image src=”https://truestoryproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Lifestyle-of-Action2.jpg” _builder_version=”3.0.92″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row custom_padding=”||1px|” _builder_version=”3.0.92″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.47″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.92″ custom_padding=”||1px|”]Recently I started reading the book of Proverbs. It’s amazing just how relevant the truths in that book are to us today, perhaps especially to young people. Even though it was written in a completely different culture and context, so many of the practical suggestions in the Bible are applicable to us today. One of the most important of these is to seek wisdom. One way of interpreting wisdom is to take it as the guidance of how to live life in a right way. What good is a university degree or a good grade in your A Levels if you don’t know how to live your life in a way that pleases God? The letter of James in the Bible says to ask God for wisdom. God has been around a lot longer than you or I, and He knows how to live a life that is meaningful, full of purpose and filled with joy. That’s what He offers to us each and every day. We only have to accept His offer and then learn to walk in obedience to Him. That’s what living the life of a Christian looks like – knowing how to live in a way that honours Him, growing in relationship with Him. Jesus prayed and said that “this is eternal life, that they (His followers) know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
(John 17:3 ESV) Eternal life doesn’t just mean living forever – it means knowing God. Knowing Him changes our outlook and approach to everything. It affects our choice of what we do and how we do it. We can start living that lifestyle now.
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