I had to fix a leak beneath the kitchen sink today. It didn’t seem too difficult a task when I began. Wrong! Why is it that every home improvement repair project looks easy before you get into it but quickly escalates into being overwhelmingly complex and difficult? I also have come to the conclusion that the size and shape of the space beneath a sink are specifically designed so that it lacks elbow room, making it impossible to work in. I eventually got the pipe replaced, but my sore back and neck continue to remind me that I asked them to turn and twist in ways they hadn’t had to for a long time. I’m going to enjoy these few minutes of sitting back and writing to you.

Your question is a good one: what to do once you’ve decided to turn your life over to Jesus Christ. I’ve given it some serious thought and wanted to come up with a profound answer for you. Instead, I came up with something quite simple: think about God a lot! God may be most important to you and pleasing Him your top priority, but the demands and delights of daily living will conspire to distract you.

One of the best ways to keep God in your day is to determine to think about Him often. Practice the presence of God! This is what one man decided to do, and he’s famous for it centuries later. He’s simply known as Brother Lawrence. He was a monk who had to do a lot of ordinary tasks, like washing dishes, in the monastery where he lived. Brother Lawrence determined to do everything with a sense of God’s presence with Him each and every moment. He said of the ordinary moments of life, "These busy times are no different for me than prayer times. In my kitchen’s noise and clatter, while several people are all calling for different things, I possess God just as peacefully as if I were on my knees at the altar, ready to take communion." (The Practice of the Presence of God)

When Jesus ascended to heaven a few days after His resurrection He promised His followers that He would always be with them. He is still keeping that promise to His followers! Once we’ve opened ourselves up to a relationship with Jesus Christ by accepting His forgiveness and lordship, we are never alone again. What I’m describing is a new view of reality where you live each moment knowing that Jesus Christ is right there with you. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say you’re right there with Him; after all, you’re His follower. You’ve entered a moment-by-moment apprenticeship with Him.

"What would Jesus do?" has been a popular phrase in recent times. Abbreviated to W.W.J.D., you find it printed on everything from jewelry to jackets, from sunglasses to shoelaces. I’m all for it, though I do wonder how many wear the reminder without having a serious commitment to carrying out the answer to the question. Still, it can help clarify what our response should be in a given situation by prompting us to ask ourselves how Jesus would handle the same situation.

The point of it all is that we are no longer to be living our own lives but the life of Christ through us. That sounds radical, and it is. Most people operate their daily lives with a sense that they have a right to pursue their own dreams and to live lives pleasing to themselves as long as it doesn’t hurt others. A follower of Jesus doesn’t do this. We are called to deny ourselves and live for Him. We are to live out His will for our lives and to do it His way.

Living a Christ-centered life appears to be costly, but we need to remember that He has a deep love for us and wants the best for us. The irony is that in being willing to give up our lives to Jesus Christ we get our lives back richer and fuller than we could have ever had by selfishly holding on. Christ, being who He is, makes certain that in the long run we gain far more than what it costs us! With obedience comes abundance!

I have to get over to the hardware store before they close. I have to return some pipes and washers I didn’t use fixing the sink. It’s still not leaking!



A fellow seeker after truth,
Dave