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Written by Administrator Saturday, 21 January 2006 19:00

The latest research from The Barna Group reveals an appalling fact about ourselves. Americans were asked to identify their “Top Priority” in life. Less than one in seven (only 15%) said that their faith in God was at the top of their list of priorities. Okay, so that’s Americans. Certainly the figures must be higher among those who call themselves Christians. Your assumption is correct … but not by a lot. A mere 23% (not even one out of four) said their faith in God was a top priority in his or her life.

Jesus was right, “The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word” (Mark 4:19). Notice those three categories that Christ mentions. Concerns that distract us … enticements that allure us … and passions for other things … these are the thieves that rob our devotion for God and for His work.

At our Annual Meeting on Wednesday, I challenged those attending that we would renew the fires of passion for the church. Using the analogy of a bride and groom on their wedding day, I asked them to remember the emotions they felt toward their spouse. Those are the very feelings that the Lord has for His church. That’s why Paul used marriage as an analogy of Christ’s love for His bride, the church (cf. Ephesians 5:25-32). And if Jesus loved the church that much … should we love it any less? And if His commitment to the church was on that level … shouldn’t ours be higher than it is?

Paul David Tripp writes: “Your life is much bigger than a good job, an understanding spouse, and non-delinquent kids. It is bigger than beautiful gardens, nice vacations, and fashionable clothes. In reality, you are part of something immense, something that began before you were born and will continue after you die. God is rescuing fallen humanity, transporting them into his kingdom, and progressively shaping them into his likeness – and he wants you to be part of it.”

How committed are you to the church? Do you have a passion for the work of God? Too quickly we push that for which Christ had a passion down the list of our own priorities. But John Stott reprimands us, “If the church is central to God’s purpose as seen in both history and the gospel, it must surely also be central in our lives. How can we take lightly what God takes so seriously? How dare we push to the circumference what God has placed at the center?”

May our passion for the Lord and for His church be renewed and rekindled in this new year. And “whatever you do, do it heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

-- Sparky