Demanding the best

What’s the difference between Christians and non-Christians? Christ demands the best from us. Non-Christians run through life not even knowing the difference between heaven bound and a box in the ground.

My life in high school included lots of religious debate, mainly with pseudo-Christians, pseudo-Buddhists, and pseudo-Jews. Obviously the reason I preface everything with pseudo is because kids would usually say, “Yeah, my parents drag me to services, but I’m not really into it.” Then they would proceed to talk about their car, girlfriend, or the latest hot movie.

Why is this a problem? Kids don’t take benchmarks seriously, unless it revolves around a tangible reward. Heaven is a very non-tangible reward....to kids. They can see it, but their understanding of it is usually weak, and if challenged, they cannot really explain what it is. Why is this a problem?

Its the carrot. You guys have heard me talk about the carrot before. Heaven is the carrot that Christianity holds in front of the donkey (you) to get you to move that first hoof forward. Don’t take this as a knock. Its not. Its really just an accurate representation of a typical human being. As humans, we chase our food, we chase our sex, and we chase our money. Getting out of that cycle takes a really big reward, and heaven is the only one that fits the bill. Why is that?

Its the best. Its the best that can be offered. There is nothing better. Perfect circumstance. Perfect existence. Perfect joy. No pain. No enemies. No nothing, except exactly what makes you happy. And yet, guess what? The best forego heaven. The best sign up for tours of duty.

Do you really think the most effective souls are just circling God, enjoying His warmth and love? No. They are sent out on missions. Why? They request them. They care about the cause we all work for, and so they are sent to make a change in the system. What’s the system? A more accurate question is what’s not the system.

Understand one thing about your time in a physical state. Understand that its short, its not yours, and you will be held accountable for how you spent it. Levels of heaven? Levels of hell? Folks....no one really knows. No one. Wipe out the chance in the equation and just do the best you possibly can.

God needs the best. Be the best. Be the Jesus in the room.