Has anyone ever told you “don’t get carried away?”
People can be that way about sports—especially during the World Series. “Let’s not get carried away…” But if you love your team, being carried away is normal, right? What if you eat at the same place every day? That’s not “normal” right? That’s getting carried away.
What if you are obsessed with a hobby or a sport or a game? Is it “normal” to play guitar every day, or paint every day, or read and write for hours every day? Is that getting carried away?
Yes. Yes, that is getting carried away. But it is also the only way to achieve greatness.
“Normal” people don’t focus deeply and they cannot sustain that focus for hours, days, months, and years at a time. Consequently, those “normal” people don’t become great. Amazing people got where they are through a lifetime of dedication, not by being “normal.” They understand that there is nothing wrong with “getting carried away,” or with obsessing over the right things.
—Things like Jesus. Do not go halfway with God. Don’t put Him in a box for Sundays only. He is not a genie in a lamp that you rub only for disasters. He is not one part of your life, one cell of a massive spreadsheet. Instead, He should be in every cell. He should touch everything else in your life.
Jesus should be THE CENTER, the HUB around which the rest of your life revolves.
But if you read your Bible every day, if you make a written prayer list, if you memorize some verses, your friends will say “don’t get carried away.” Or they’ll say, “I’m a Christian too, and it’s okay to be normal.”
What they mean is, “your new spiritual commitment is making me recognize my lack of spiritual commitment.” But they won’t say that. Instead, they’ll smile and ask a question or two, and the implication will be clear: “I’m normal and I have not changed, but you are changing and that makes you abnormal. You’re being weird and overdoing it with this God stuff.”
When Jesus began His ministry, His own family thought he was getting carried away.
“While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You’” Matthew 12:48.
Scholars believe the family had decided the older brother had “gotten carried away,” that His new passion and doctrine and lifestyle were just not normal. He was acting weird and the family wanted to take Him home and straighten Him out.
But Jesus ignored His mother and His brothers.
He was on a sacred quest. He knew Who He was, and He knew His message. He was fully committed to His extraordinary mission. He would NOT be deterred.
Neither should we be deterred from following our Savior. No matter how devoted you are, devotion is normal. Deep, powerful, emotional, passionate prayer is normal. Both Bible study alone and Bible study with others are normal. Sharing your faith is normal. Talking about the Creator Who Made you? Totally normal. Memorizing His Word is normal. Giving up bad habits for Him is normal. Letting Him change your speech is normal. Bowing to your King is normal. Submission to His rule and reign is normal.
What is not normal is keeping your faith in one little box so that it has no impact on your life. If Jesus is your Lord, He is Lord over everything.
If He is not your Lord OF ALL, then He is not your Lord AT ALL.
Pray. Jesus, help me reevaluate my faith and what it means to be a ‘normal’ Christian. Make me fully devoted to you. I want you to be Lord of all. Teach me how to submit to you. Help me read the Word and love the Word more every day. Help me write a prayer list and know what to pray about daily. Make me wholly devoted to you, King Jesus. Give me the courage to be radical for Christ, to be zealous for the King who died in my place.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 