Preface round 2

Originally posted July 21, 2009 on my personal blog:

So I pretty much totally rewrote the preface of my book. I have to say, I like this one better. I'm always open to opinions and criticism, though, so feel free to rip it apart :D Here goes:“Listen to me, my child,” I heard the voice speak softly to my heart, “What matters most in the end, when everything fades away?” Of course I knew the answer: Heaven and Earth as we know it will pass away, but God’s Word will never pass away; His Kingdom will never pass away. The only thing that makes any difference in the end is what we’ve put into the everlasting Kingdom.“Yes, you know it, but do you believe it?” the voice pressed further, “Is it real to you?”Ouch… Looking at the way I spend my life, does it really seem like I’m genuinely concerned for what really matters? Hmm perhaps it is time to re-evaluate. I looked deep inside and found that, yes, I know what really matters and I really do want that. Even though I sometimes don’t know how to live that out, it really is my heart’s desire.I learned long ago that one should never make a promise before one takes the whole cost into account. So I evaluated the cost (and very great it is) then said a resounding “YES” to God.“Yes, I want to give my all to You. I want to live only for what matters. I want all of God and nothing else.” After all, that is all that matters in the end.Then I heard God’s reply, “Good. Now hold on to Me because I am the only thing that will never fail you. I will be your every thing but you have to trust Me no matter what. I will make you a radical Christian. People will hate you; they will always fail you. Just hold on to Me. Trust. Never let go.”And thus I began a journey, a life-long battle against the darkness of this world, the hold of the flesh, and the devil himself — my arch enemies that would pull me away from the only thing that matters in the end.Looking back over my life from where I stand today I can see how God has guided my pathway. People He put in my life, places I’ve been, things I’ve experienced… All were part of the grander scheme of things that make up the path of my life this far. As I look to the road ahead, I cannot see what lies before me, save for the ultimate goal of an everlasting kingdom. But it can only be achieved when I hold on to God and let Him guide my steps.This journey is much like Peter walking upon the water. As long as I keep my eyes on God, I will be fine; but if I take my eyes off Him and allow “human knowledge” to get in the way, I begin to sink. Faith cannot be balanced with human reason, for faith itself is not something to be grasped. It is something we will never understand within our finite minds. Yet it is so vitally important that we cannot live without it. Everybody has faith in something.I find myself at this point in my journey compelled to share the things that I have learned so far and perhaps some things that God is still showing me. I have seen in the lives of Christians around me the same sort of disease I have been blinded with. Perhaps knowing the importance of the moment in the light of eternity, but not knowing what to do about it. Or perhaps they are even unaware and ignorant of the fact that they are wasting their lives away with their parabolic talent buried while the day of reckoning draws near.The fact is, friends, we have a crisis on in the Church today. It is indeed rather urgent, as we see the second coming of the Lord drawing closer every day. Now more than ever it is important to live every moment for God and make every action count for eternity. This crisis we face is not really anything new, but that does not make it any less urgent and is certainly no reason to ignore it. You see, this crisis has been building over the years and it is crippling the Church and therefore crippling our effectiveness in the world. It is sweeping through like an enraged army, seeking only to destroy.Complacency, my friends, is the general of this army. Falsehoods and twisted lies stand at his right hand. His ranks are filled with laziness, excuses, busyness, discouragement, fear, worry, and apathy. As I hope you will see in the following pages, these are all closely related and intertwined to create this powerful army that would destroy the Church—that would destroy you yourself if you do not stand up and fight it. But if we turn to God and truly seek Him with our whole hearts we will find that He has promised to give us the things we need for life and Godliness and furthermore that He is always true to His promise. After all, would He call us to battle then not provide our needs?The enemy is crafty and subtle, and resistance and victory require constant vigil and effort as well as a strong commitment to God and constant communion with Him. We need to guard ourselves against attack and also watch out for our fellow soldiers, to encourage them and help them to the best of our abilities. This is a long and arduous battle but it MUST be fought and we MUST prevail for the Kingdom of God. We must remember that in the end the reward is worth all the pain and struggling. By God’s grace we can overcome. We MUST overcome. We need to prepare our own hearts and lives, and then we need to go out there and change the world for the glory of God.