Is it really "my life?"

One of the prime principles and ideologies that we promote in this country is individualism. Individualism, in it's conceptual bag, celebrates the individual and what they are able to do for themselves. Individualism argues that it is solely about the work and effort of the individual. Therefore the individual determines what they want, how they want it and what the standard is. Christianity is not based on individualism. Christianity is based on dying daily to the will of self.

Luke 9:23-24 (KJV) states "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." Right here is Jesus talking. What Jesus is saying is that if you are going to follow Him you must be willing to give up what you think is the best way to follow His way, which is The way.

Too many of us view life as a "I can do what I want to do because it is my life" philosophy. We want to live our lives based upon "my view." Consumerism is a byproduct of this mindset. In this society we view the customer as always right and that they deserve whatever they want how they want it. Burger King's slogan of "have it your way" fits this very well. A lot of people have this view of life that "I can do what I want to do with my life. If I want to pursue something that is up to me and what I feel."

Let me tell you that if you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, your life is not your own. God never intended for the life of a believer to reflect solely the will of the individual. God intended that our lives be used for His glory. There is nothing wrong with pursuing personal dreams and passions but they must still be sought with God's hand of approval. Why do so many of us view life based on our own individual will? When you are a believer in God, you say "it is not my life, but it is Your life Lord and therefore You can use it the way You see fit." The church of Jesus Christ will not be effective until we get to a point where we understand that we do not live for our own glory and satisfaction, but we live for the glory of Jesus Christ!

Today I encourage us to get rid of the "Burger King" mentality when it comes to our lives and remember that in following Jesus, we are giving ourselves away that we may be used of His glory!