Inspired

Waiting in the Dr. office today I noticed the cover of the Readers Digest someone was reading; “35 People Who Inspire Us”. It sent my thought processes churning about the word inspire. Inspiration always conjures up good feelings doesn't it? Inspired to achieve great goals in life. To 'become” somebody. To take that risk and venture into those uncharted waters. Accomplishing things we never dreamed possible. I mean you wouldn't ever want to be inspired to commit a crime or develop a character flaw would you? And yet we have people in our society (or in our small social circle) who do just that, intentionally or not. Take for instance, sex. Are we not bombarded daily with inspiration to sin sexually, whether it be premarital or extra-marital? And our appearance. Are we not inspired to “worship” our bodies and how we look? That's not exactly the noblest attribute to possess; vanity. Vanity that leads to sexual sin and self exaltation. Gang members inspire there “brothers” to commit crimes and live atrociously sinful lives. Friends inspire friends to drink, do drugs, lie, steal, fornicate (that's a very old fashioned word which here means “to fornicate”) and live generally self centered lives. So, what exactly should we be inspired to do? I think as Christians we often get 'inspired” by things that sound good but are not at all God's will for his people. Phrases like “be all you can be” “aspire to new heights” “become all you were made for” and my personal favorite “find your purpose in life” can certainly inspire us but to what end? Are we on this earth to find our life or to loose it? Yikes, if you really read the bible you'll see that many so called Christian people are inspiring us to nothing but secularism. We are told 5 times in the gospels to not cling to this life but to give it up.

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”(Matt. 10:39 and 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24 and 17:33).

I mean how many times do we have to be told, that this life is passing away?

Psalm 39:4
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.

James 4:13-14

"Look here, you who say, ' Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.' How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog- it's here a little while and then it's gone."

That our lives do not consist of our possessions...

Luke 12:15
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Matthew, Mark and Luke all had this message in their gospels;

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? (Matt 16:26, Mark 8:36 and Luke 9:25)

Is this not clear enough? He's talking about material possessions, power, and prestige. Things Christians should NOT be inspired to acquire.

But we are inspired to gain earthly wealth – by Christians, even though Jesus clearly taught us;

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The kind of people who should inspire us are the ones who challenge us to live as close as possible to the true teachings of Christ. Not the ones who use the bible as some kind of tool to justify completely un-Christ like lifestyles. I just can't imagine a picture of Jesus on the cover of a book entitled “3 Simple Keys to the Life You've Only Dreamed Of” The inside flap reading something like,

“Ever wonder why life is so difficult? Why everyone else seems to be getting ahead and you, a child of God, are struggling? In his book, 3 Simple Keys to the Life You've Only Dreamed Of, best selling author Jesus Christ reveals the 3 simple keys to the “abundant life” you have always heard about but could never quite grasp. He will show you how to;

• double your income without doubling your work load

• speak the words that will get you anything you want anytime you want it

• get on the top of the heap and stay there

• realize all your dreams and your full potential

• live the stress free, overcomers lifestyle

• how to look good and feel great all the time!
  

• get the benefits of heaven, here on earth now!
  

So, I like to be inspired but I want to make sure that I'm inspired towards the life that Jesus has designed for me. The life of looking toward eternity, not living for the here and now. The life that goes against the flow of the “world” and strives towards holy living. The carry your cross lifestyle that Jesus embraced. I want to be inspired to read the Word, live it in it's simplicity and repent when I don't.

Hey, I wonder if Jesus was in that list of 35 people? Probably not.