We’re just over 15 days from 2020. And we have to be prepared. For what? For the onslaught of “20/20 vision” jokes about “seeing clearly.” I have a feeling we will all grown at the mention of 2020 about a month or two into the new year.
But that’s not really the big thing coming in 2020. And no I’m not talking about the presidential election, though we should certainly brace ourselves for that. Maybe we should all just turn off our TV’s and refuse to play a part in the infectious spread of slander that’s coming over the airwaves. Here’s a radical thought, if you don’t share that negative post on Facebook, your friends might actually see something you post about your life instead of the Agenda machine’s talking points. But, that’s not my point either.
What’s my point? It’s a new year which is a great chance to make a change to your life. It’s also the start of a new decade, which makes it an even greater opportunity. Are you ready to make the most of this opportunity.
It is just that, an opportunity. Of course, every day is an opportunity if we choose to see it that way. I struggle to see every day that way, but I’m growing in that. But, what better time to make an intentional change in your live than the start of a new year and decade?
With the days we have left in 2019 being the last few of this decade, we have a great opportunity to deeply inspect our lives. Are things the way you want them to be? What have you wanted to change for years, but have neglected? What do you really need to work on? What are the biggest areas of disappointment that you have the ability to change?
Most importantly, what is the state of your soul? If you were to rank your relationship with God on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being an exact replica of Christ and 1 being rebellion, where would you put yourself?
Maybe you’re good. If you are, that’s awesome. I’m proud of you and I’d love to talk with you about how you got to that point. But, if you’re not…if there is room for improvement…now is the time to start preparing for what you’re going to do differently starting in 2020.
There is a problem, unfortunately. We want to change, but we don’t want to do what’s necessary to change. We like the idea of being more like Christ, but we don’t like the idea of expending any effort along the way. We want God to do all the work for us.
Somewhere along the way we have believed the lie that working hard at becoming like Christ means something is wrong. We think it should just happen, it should be easy. We should just wake up some Monday morning with an entirely different motivation for life. But, that’s not how God works.
There is a process. Becoming like Christ is a journey. Transformation is never finished, at least this side of Heaven. Sadly, it’s a journey too many Christians have yet to embark on. Too many think going to church once in a while is good enough.
Which is why I’m writing this article. In a few weeks I’m going to be releasing a book entitled “Like Christ.” I’m wondering if you’ll consider it as you think about starting this new decade? Can you imagine what could happen in your life, your world and our world if followers of Jesus spent the first part of 2020 intentionally trying to become more like Christ? It’s what we need, so desperately.
You might be asking, “How is a book going to help me become more like Christ?” And I’d be asking the same question. We live in the self-help era. But for all our reading, not much has changed. Why is that? Because content isn’t what we need most.
Content is important, but so is context. Context is, “the conditions and circumstances that are relevant to an event, fact, etc.” So, if the event we are after is spiritual transformation, we need not only to focus on content but also to the conditions and circumstances that are relevant to spiritual transformation.
So, “Like Christ” isn’t just a book. It is a book, but the book is one piece of the whole. There will also be daily devotionals, Bible reading, habit development and more.
2020 is coming. It will be here before we know it. Are we prepared to make the most of this incredible, once in a decade opportunity?
