The "How
To" series - This blog series focuses on helping men with the "how to's" of living a God-Centered life.
#1 - How To... become a
devoted follower of Jesus?
There has
always been a longing in my heart. There has always been an ache. I want my life to have significance. I want
my life to mean something. I want my life to make a difference. I came to realize that the God who created me
put that longing in me. He has put it in
you, too. Now, if you don't believe in a
Divine Being then you should stop reading right now. If you truly hold to your belief of no God
and you hold to the idea that we all "just happened" through random
selection, then there is no reason for you to keep on reading or to keep on
living for that matter. You have no
purpose. But if you do believe, or want
to believe, there is a God, then read on.
So how do you
and I answer that longing, that call to live a life of significance?
It all
starts with knowing the One who put that longing in our heart. It starts with a daily relationship with your
Creator. It starts with a surrendered
life to God by giving our life back to Him to live His purposes for our life
rather than living for ourselves. It
starts with being God-centered rather than self-centered. It's a choice.
For me
that first decision came on February 19, 1982.
You can read the details in my first Cross Your Rubicon blog post. But the long and short of it is I reached a
point of desperation. I was at the end of myself. Are you there yet? Are you really desperate?
Are you willing to give up all your self-centered efforts for a God-centered
life? If not, come back when you are. If you are, then read through this simple
prayer. If it conveys your desperation
then pray it with intention and meaning to the God who created you...
"God, my life is yours. It was always yours but I
selfishly have been living it for me and not you. I have messed it up living it without You
involved. I give it back to You now. Would you forgive me and fix me and change
me to be what you intended? I now see
and know the cruelty that Jesus went through on the cross was meant for
me. It was not just a historical fact
that You died on a cross, but a personal reality for me. You did that for me because You knew I would
screw up my life and choices, and because of Your great love for me. I don't deserve it, but I accept Your grace
and Your love and Your forgiveness.
Thank you, Jesus. My life is now
Yours. Amen."
Did anything happen? Yes, it did. If you didn't feel anything, that's OK. You
don't need to feel truth in order for it to be real in your life. If you were honest with God and believe Him,
then you are now His. This is why: "But
to all who did receive him, who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become
children of God, who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of
God." (John 1:12, 13 ESV) Jesus
said that about you and about me.
Your life
is no longer about you, it is about God.
Your life has significance because you were made in God's image and you
belong to Him. You are not your own. You
were bought with a price.
So now
what? Follow through
with what I call the "4 Gets"...
- Get real - Let me know about your decision. Don't hide it. Tell someone. Either me or someone else. You can e-mail me at tom@CrossYourRubicon.org.
- Get a mentor - Find a man you know that knows Jesus and tell them about your decision. Ask him to help you grow in your newfound relationship to God. Don't know someone? Then that can be your second prayer to God. "God, please send me a mentor." Watch how He does it!
- Get a Bible - The NIV version is a good one to use. Read a chapter a day starting in the gospel of John then read Matthew, Mark and Luke. (I'll talk to you about having an intentional daily time with God by reading the Bible in the next blog.)
- Get connected - Find a small group of men you can get together with to grow and learn to live a God-centered life. (I'll talk more about this in a later blog as well).
Don't
forget the 4 Gets! For now, welcome to
an exciting and challenging journey to live a God-centered life.
Dare to dream.
Dare to do. Dare to be!
Tom Michaels Zahradnik is a minister and chaplain who
serves as CEO of Sound of Life, Inc. You
can connect with Tom at Rubicon Ministries by going to CrossYourRubicon.org. Tom and his wife, Cathleen, host the monthly
Cross Your Rubicon podcast. Cathleen
also hosts the blog, "Real Life Chats", focused on helping women
build a God-centered life.
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