Conflicting Signals Are Confusing!

Have you ever been at an intersection when the traffic lights were messed up? Red for a few seconds then amber, back to red, then green sporadically – then nothing….only to be followed by both the green and red lights blinking simultaneously? One thing is certain – something is definitely wrong.

Have you ever wondered about the conflicting messages younger folks receive? The biggest surprise should not be that some are failing to pursue spiritual things with intensity. The bigger surprise is that some are.

The signals all around can be so confusing at times. Imagine yourself growing up hearing or overhearing these things:

Mom to you: “No … dad won’t be at the prayer meeting tonight. He’s swamped at the office. He won’t be able to get to any of the special meetings. He’s focusing on the incentive bonus.”

Dad to your sibling: “One thing your mom and I have always desired for you is that you would put the Lord first in your life at any cost.”

Your teacher: “Bite the bullet. Study hard. If you want to get somewhere in this life, you need a good education.”

Mom to you again: “We’re praying that you will come into the assembly and really get involved.”

Your boss: “That’s just the way promotions work. Those who put the most into their job will get the most out of it. If you want to succeed then you’ll have to give more than just 8 hours a day.”

Local Church Elder to you: “Your life should revolve around the things of God and the local assembly. It should be the priority of your life!”

Travel Agent to that Elder: “We can’t get you a four month slot in those beach condos, but we have found a three month block on the south side of the peninsula.”

Car Dealer to your Dad: “Your dream car arrived. The BMW 650i Convertible came in this afternoon.”

Jesus Christ to you: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him DENY himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

Interior Decorator to Mom and Dad: “If that’s what you’d like, we can get the customized living room leather suite shipped in from Germany. I don’t know of anyone around here with anything quite like it.”

Dad to you: “You can’t be running to Bible conferences all the time or Seed Sowers. You have to buckle down and work to pay for your education. We want you to be a somebody not a flunky.”

Missionary Biography you’re reading: “He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he can not lose.” By Jim Elliot

Mom into the kitchen air: “That place is crazy. The elders are a bunch of losers. Someone needs to stage a coup!”

Flesh to self: “Go for it. You can be a committed Christian later. Right now, you could be on easy street at age 40. A few years of hard work, smart moves and sound investments and you’ve got it made. Home free.”

Are you struggling with priorities in your life? The choices you should make? How much to invest in a career? How much time to spend getting this or that? How seriously you should take your life as a Christian?

What’s the balance between spiritual and secular? If you are going to live as Christ intends you to live there is no balance. Think about it.

The signal from the Word of God is unmistakably clear: Christ wants you to surrender ALL to Him – it’s NOT a 50:50 proposition. You will be off balance and out of sync with the rest of the world. And, yes on a different wave length than Christians who have chosen to live for themselves and to invest primarily in this life.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples,