Are you living in the "ing"

Why is it when we first began following Jesus we were willing to give up anything and everything for Him? We had zeal, passion, reckless abandon, etc… However, something happened… Life, reality hit, difficulty crept into your life, you became busy. Your relationship with God went from passionate to complacent, radical to mundane. Now you follow Jesus because you know you are suppose to, but other than that you question if it is for real. The things of God seem distant and the scriptures that used to come alive have fallen on your own deaf ears. If you pray or when you scratch up the nerve to pray it seems like the words are empty and disappear into space as soon as they leave your mouth. (Analog: almost as fast as those dreams you once had). Those convictions that used to drive you to repentance have long since silenced. You feel like your faith is running on a treadmill. It doesn’t matter how mush or little you try, you are still running in place. It is wearing you out. Growth has stopped, maybe even retracted. You here the amazing God stories of others and instead of being excited you become cynical. Your pride begins to accuse them of Pride. You cannot imagine someone who really follows Jesus wholeheartedly and who regularly sees God move because it has been so long since you have experienced that reality in your own life. You here of churches growing and all you can think is “they must be compromising on the truth”, “they must not be teaching the true Gospel”. Instead of praising God for revival, your cynicism brings derision to the body of Christ.
You keep asking yourself the question, “What do they have that I don’t?” Great question!!! That is the right question. I know what you are thinking, “I am more gifted”, “better equipped”, “smarter”, “friendlier”, “more handsome”, “a better teacher”, etc… Why am I not experiencing that kind of success and joy any longer? The answer is simply that they have not forgotten who their first love is…Jesus. I know what you are thinking, “How dare you question me on who my first love is? I am a pastor, a leader, an elder, a volunteer, and I have paid my dues. I went to Bible College, even seminary for crying out loud. I memorized scripture, I prayed, I led people to Christ. How dare you question me? My Christian resume would rival the disciples in the first century.” Woe to you. Has your past merit become the credentials for your credibility as a sold out follower of Jesus. See our problem is the “ed”. I learned, I think in the second grade, that in order to make a statement past tense you would add and “ed” to the end. The problem is that you “prayed”, “memorized”, “led”, etc… Your resume recalls your past zeal, your past passion, your past love. It is indeed very impressive, but what about your present? I used to be an excellent baseball player. I would have been a great asset to any team, but I have not played the game in 10 years. I am certain that I could not hit a fastball. I would be valuable to a team only if I was keeping score. My baseball resume in good. I have a state championship ring, made many all tournament teams, was recruited heavily, was on a team that was fourth in the world when I was 15-16 years old, and got the coaches award for my High School team. It is impressive. The reality is that I have been out of the game so long that I am of no benefit to any team now. Does this correspond to your spiritual life? Does your spiritual resume describe your past or your present? Has it been so long since you have been in the game that you have forgotten what it was like to taste victory? Are you still talking about what you did at your last church 5 years ago? Has it been weeks, months, even years since you have had an encounter with Jesus? Has your faith become an apathetic ritualistic routine? Your calloused heart is no longer moved by anything. You question whether you even know Jesus or if you should even serve in ministry any longer. In an attempt to mask the turmoil you hide in the foxholes of your past, praising yourself for the “ed” deeds so that you can muster up enough sanity to continue to sell the façade.
Unfortunately, no one is buying it, not your wife, your kids, your congregation, your friends, not a one of them. You welcome new relationships, because they are more easily fooled. You have spent years sculpting your masterpiece, and on the outside it is breathtaking. It is nothing more than a mirage. The termites of cynicism, pride, and selfishness are eating you from the inside out. You wish time would stand still because it is only a matter of time before even they see the real you. The problem is not if others see the real you. The problem is do YOU see the real you. Have you been so good at fooling others that you have even fooled yourself? (Story of Bowl clean on outside, but not inside). “Oh God, how have I let myself get here?” “How do I get out of this prison?” Why have we made it complicated? Why is it that when we crash we fool ourselves into thinking that there is some complicated formula that I must figure out in order to be rescued from the pit of despair. Is it a conference, a retreat, a sabbatical, counseling, a mentor, a job change or maybe even a combination of these things? Lean not on your understanding. The answer is simply Jesus. It is finding Joy, peace, love, and identity in Jesus. Understand that you bear the image of the almighty God. You must claim the promise that “greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” Start living in the present and not the past. Destroy the “ed” mentality and adopt the “ing” mentality. Instead of “I Prayed”, “I led”, “I memorized”, it should be I am “praying”, “memorizing”, “leading”, “growing”, “believing”, “desiring”, “studying”, “loving”, etc… It is not about what I have done. It is about what I am doing. It is not about who I was. It is about who I am becoming. Just think about it...