Stop Counting

One of my biggest fears in life is that I'm not living out my fullest potential as a Christian... and the sad truth of it is, is that I know that I'm not.

I will never, ever reach a point where I can sit back and say,

"Okay, I've done enough."

Enough discipleship, enough ministering, enough outreach, enough investing in people, enough forgiving people, enough giving to the poor and needy, enough sharing the word of Christ to those that need it, etc.

I will never be able to say I've done enough.

Now don't read that the wrong way. I'm not saying that there is a required amount of anything for Christ that we need to do. I'm also not saying that we have to do so much to get into heaven. But I will quote James here in saying, "Faith without works is dead." I can have faith, but is it real or alive if my life isn't showing it? Faith without works is dead.

It's all too simple to take the short route and be complacent. That's the route I take when in my mind I start saying things like, "Well, I gave $5 to the guy with the sign on the corner so I think I’m good for the next week.”

That’s not what faith is about, and I think more importantly, that isn’t what Jesus is about. Jesus was the one that saw people and saw their needs, and He did what He could to serve, heal, help, and minister to them. Not just when it was convenient, not to get in his quota for the day, but because that is who He was... that is who He is. 

I know that I will never amount to that kind of goodness, compassion, and love that Jesus always showed to people, but I could at the least shine a glimpse of that goodness, that compassion, and that love. 

I don’t want to ever be satisfied with doing just enough.

 Escaping the this complacent or "just enough" mindset is incredibly difficult. Our minds are wired to keep score and to keep count of everything. But it is this mindset that we have to get rid of. If we're never satisfied with how much we're doing as Christians, maybe then we could change the world. When we start counting all of the good things we’re doing, it becomes a chore. Or a list. I don’t think all the lists we keep really matter to God, instead, it’s our hearts. God wants to see hearts that want to give, want to love, and show compassion every single chance they get. By those standards, I don’t need to count all the things I’ve done—I just need to start consciously making the decision to think less, and to do more.

I encourage you tonight to think about your faith and how you are living it out. How do you treat the people around you? How much time, resources, and effort are you giving to meet the needs of others? How much time, resources, and effort do you keep to yourself or use on other things?

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” –Hebrews 13:16

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” –Galatians 6:9-10