Are You Serious? Or Merely Intrigued?

I sat down for my quiet time. 

Ooh! Let me schedule this text real quick. 

I reread yesterday's passage (today's devotional piggy-backed off of that). 

Yesterday. Did I accomplish everything I meant to do yesterday? What should I follow up on today?

I prayed quickly for the Holy Spirit's direction in this time with Him today and opened to today's Scripture.

Oh! There's that note I made on Sunday. I was supposed to take care of that two days ago. Well, there's a thing to add to my list today.

And on it goes. Now, maybe it's the devil. Maybe he's just trying to keep me from having my quiet time with Jesus. Or maybe it's me. Our pastor says all the time --and believe you me, I agree --we are the source of most of our problems. The devil doesn't need to meddle when we do such a fine job of being lukewarm ourselves. We are distracted. We place too much faith in ourselves and our own plans. We are drawn away by concerns that are not that important and certainly not eternal. We are merely intrigued by living a Christian life. Like someone is intrigued by the idea of homesteading or scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro. Years ago, I read Into Thin Air, a gripping account of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest, by Jon Krakauer. I was determined, as I sat in the comfort of my warm, safe living room, that I was going to start mountain climbing. As time passed and I grew bored of reading book after book about technique and topography, I decided any sort of exploration would be just fine. Once again, as I sat on the sofa. The reality of my situation was, I had two small children and a job. Now, that's not to say, if I had wanted it badly enough, I could not have made it happen; but I really wasn't serious: I was merely intrigued. My lack of effort made that apparent.

Walking out the life Jesus purchased for us at the cross, pressing toward the mark, as Paul calls it, is not an exercise in mild curiosity --at least, not the way Scripture presents it. Galatians 2:20 says we have been crucified with Christ. Romans 12:1 urges us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. This is some pretty intense language, and not for the faint of heart. If we are not serious about the commitment we have made, Luke 9:62 says we are not fit for the kingdom of God. There's a reality check! 

Back to the mountain climbing thing. If I were to decide I was going to put on my warmest Carhartt's head on up to some lofty peak --no training, no gear, just a notion --how far do you think I'd get before critical injury? The Christian life requires similar preparation --living sacrifice, remember? We have to be more than intrigued by the principles and precepts in Scripture if we want to experience the victory that Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection obtained for us. That's going to require a lot of hard work! Thanks be to God, He is more forgiving than Pikes Peak, but the likelihood of not wearing ourselves out, hurting others, taking misstep after misstep, and eventually throwing in the towel, is high if all we are bringing to the table is a mild curiosity. If we are not willing to do the work. Allowing distraction, placing our faith in ourselves, permitting terrestrial interests to dominate the portion we are supposed to give to Jesus (once again, everything), are not the habits of a serious follower. 

The serious pursuit of a life with Jesus --however that looks, wherever He takes us, whatever He commands --begins and ends with the believer themselves. Ask yourself, am I serious about this? or merely intrigued? Do I arrive at worship on Sunday morning on time and with a heart prepared to adore Him? Have I done my Bible study homework, prayed about it, and meditated on Scripture? Am I hiding God's Word in my heart and walking in obedience? Am I ready to spend this precious time with my Master, to draw close to Him and give Him my full attention?

I encourage you, as we enter this second month of the new year, to recommit your life to Jesus. Turn up the heat and refuse to be lukewarm anymore. Get rid of those things that displease Him; surrender those things that distract you. Get serious about the work and save the intrigue for book club.