“I Am Legend” starring Will Smith. Go see it. It is now in theaters rated PG-13 for Intense Sci-Fi Action and Violence. There are two cuss words if I remember right they start with a D and rhyme with an alternative word for Jelly. Anyway if you go in watching it with a mindset of looking for a way to start conversations about Christ with this culture then this movie provides ample avenues. The message is great, even if a short distance away from Christianity. But I liked it. Beware though it is scary so parents keep that in mind for the kids. This is actually one of probably a few movies that I’ll see this holiday season (And I’m hoping the others are just as clean). But this actually leads into what this post is probably most about. Movies are distracting aren’t they? “Distracting from what” you may ask. Well from God and pursuing Jesus is what I would answer. Now before I get stoned by the masses, I’m NOT condemning movies or entertainment, BUT still I must contend that often we, myself verily included, bow our hearts to so many other things, entertainment included, other than Christ. For those of you who might not know, for those that do but have forgotten, and for those that would say we aren’t actually, I would emphatically say that we (disciples of Christ) are people who are, and are to be, engaged in warfare. This warfare takes the shape and form of movements in the spiritual realm. But very often, since the physical and spiritual are so closely connected, the actions in the spiritual are seen in the physical and vice-versa. Now if we are a people engaged in warfare then we cannot be a people who are distracted from fighting and pursuing Christ. I will place a disclaimer here, in life there are what I would term unavoidable distractions these would be things that MIGHT distract us from Christ, but must be done regardless. Then there are avoidable distractions these are things which are non-essential to our pursuit of Christ and as such slow us down in our seeking Him. So I would encourage you now, even before finishing this entry, to go before the Lord and ask Him to reveal to you by His Spirit, which dwells in you, to show you the avoidable distractions in your life that you can cast off to more effectively pursue Him. Don’t be introspective observing yourself, but let His Spirit lead you. Simply put Christ must be our passion. Passion comes from the Latin word meaning “to suffer”. If we say and want to be passionate about Christ we must be willing to suffer. Are you willing to give up, sacrifice, whatever it may be; however dear to your heart it might be; however entertaining it might be; however cool it might be; however whatever it might be to follow Christ? I know this has played out in my life and the Holy Spirit is continually convicting me of things that I could throw off that weigh me down in my race for the Kingdom. Have I gotten it down yet? Not even close. Is it really hard? Oh man, YES. Is it better to get the climbing vines off of the walls to keep them from making the wall crumble and leave you defenseless; even if it is really really hard work and the job is huge? Unequivocally yes. Do not hesitate any longer friends, and do not let the enemy any longer crane your neck and face away from the glorious face of Christ causing you to trip, stumble, and stagger on the traps and pits set for your feet by Satan. Satan seeks to either destroy you or make you ineffective I’ll encourage you to no longer allow him, by the Spirit and strength of God, to make you ineffective, but make his only option to destroy you. Some encouragement, but then again the Cross of Christ wasn’t that encouraging. I love you guys.
