“I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains…for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” (Revelation 3:1-2)
Why are we pretending? We have no more motivation left. We’ve been beaten. It’s easier to just go through the motions at this point rather than fight against ourselves or even fight against everybody else for the smallest gain or purpose. What we’ll tell ourselves is, “well maybe we’ll try again next year.” But we all know next year will roll around and we’ll be at the same place again.
We’ll be between here and nowhere, given up, broken, and going through the motions. Some of us have been going through the motions so long that we don’t even know what it feels like to actually do that thing. Just be honest with yourself, don’t you just go to work, almost on autopilot and park yourself in your cube and mindlessly keep busy until five? Maybe that’s the routine you have on Sundays? You mindlessly get ready for church and then come to church and sit down for a mindless service, lifting your arms up ever so high at the staccato of the very last song, then close your eyes really hard, word some things with your mouth, and sit down.
The writer of Revelation says to the church in Sardis (an ancient city in Turkey) that it’s time to stop being so faint hearted and soft. It is unacceptable to start things and not see them through. Worse than an inability to follow through, is following through half-heartedly. It is not acceptable to God.
It’s horrible worship. It is comparable to peeing your pants and walking around in public wearing soiled articles of clothing. With three days remaining in 2012, I want to challenge you: stop pretending life by going through the motions, but actually live life with the fire and tenacity latent within your heart.
You and I both know you have dreams you want to aspire toward. That you once imagined God to be leading you for something so satisfying that it made you drool in your dreams.
Forget trying again next year, there’s still time this year to work. Join me, and make this year a banner year and I guarantee that you’ll find yourself raising a banner even higher next year. Let’s do everything in the name of our Lord. Stop pretending life, wake up and live it.