“Enough” of a Christian doesn’t mean “enough” with God.
The self-satisfaction we can feel as Christians is killing us because we can really believe that whatever we do for God is good enough.
We can feel confident that since we’re probably enough of a Christian for most churches that we’re enough of a Christian before God. So, we pat ourselves on the back for going to church or watching it on T.V. We give ourselves kudos for putting something in the offering bucket or giving online.
And if we attend anything beyond the worship service we can feel like we’ve gone the “second mile.”
What others think doesn’t make me a great Christian.
Sometimes we become self-satisfied knowing other people think we’re pretty great Christ followers. Based on what? Our politics? We homeschool? We’re nice to some folks? We’re still attending church during a pandemic? What we post on Social Media?
But other people’s opinions about your Christian life doesn’t matter! The only opinion that matters is what God thinks of your Christian life, which is supposed to represent Christ now and advance the culture of His Kingdom now in ways that impact and transform other people.
What if God gave you two “talents,” but you only use one?
Another reason spiritual self-contentment is spiritually dangerous is because:
What if God gave you two talents with which to serve Him and others, but you’re only using one?
What if you’re using two talents, but God actually gave you five?
What if you got one talent, but all you’re really doing is supporting Christian stuff?
Then you’re going to come up spiritually short, friend. Your deeds will wind up being incomplete, and there’s going to be no self-satisfaction found in that. (Pssst – some good Scripture to read is Matthew 25:14-30 and Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22)
Corona is a virus, NOT an excuse.
Whatever you do, DON’T use the Corona virus as an excuse for why you can’t spiritually do what Jesus left you here to do! It won’t work.
Why? Because we’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have undergone far worse things, and many still do around the world. YET, they fight for community, spend time with God in the Word and prayer, find ways to be the Gospel to people and to share it, and they live the message of Christ.
So, let’s all just spend less time patting ourselves on the back, and spend more time doing the ministry God has given us to do right NOW with the people all around us.