No, For Real This TIme

As a child I was extremely competitive. I have matured to a certain degree, and this competitive nature has matured and evolved to unwrap a drive inside that motivates me to pursue purpose. However, gotta keep it real, sometimes my competitive nature can’t be suppressed and manifests itself through a monopoly game or during domino game where my south central LA can come out. Currently my competitive nature is manifested as an extreme Lakers fan. I was dismayed after the Lakers loss on Christmas Day to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. I went outside and began to play basketball (I guess I thought somehow, I was at Staples Center and could have avenged the Lakes loss by my performance in the backyard) and I began to shoot free throws. Free throws are an interesting component of the game of basketball in that there is no defender and no opposition. The competition is within myself, and success or failure is contingent on my ability. The first time I was shooting, I shot ten shots and only made five. This was quite frustrating, because I knew I was better than that. No one knew I shot poorly, but I did. At that moment I said within myself, “You are better than that,” the next statement was “No for real, this time.” This statement was like pressing reset on Nintendo after you lost in Mario Brothers. This statement was like David repenting in Psalm 51, and saying, "Create in me a clean heart and renew a right Spirit within me." I re-focused, and then proceeded to make 8 of 10 free throws. To make sure the improvement wasn’t attributed to luck, I shot 10 more and made 9 of 10.

Often we have an underlying spirit of competition that drives us. We compete for the attention and affirmation of those we love. We compete to prove others wrong who have placed limitations on who or what we can be. When man is the source of our motivation, we can win their affirmation and discover that it was a prize without purpose. However when God is the source of our drive our purpose is realized. I have found that the greatest competition isn’t from external opposition but from internal opposition. Much like Jesus’ greatest battle wasn’t with scribes, Pharisees, or even those who crucified Him, but His greatest battle occurred within himself between His flesh and Spirit, in the Garden of Gethsemane. He ultimately he arrived a the conclusion I desire, Nevertheless not my will but your will be done.

No for real this time, I can’t expect things to change with the same behaviors and disciplines. Change is not haphazard or random, but it deliberate and intentional, and doesn’t happen for us, but happens through us. Just as I declared in the backyard, I am declaring in my life, I am better than that. I am better than sporadic emotional swings that are connected to relationship status, financial status, and circumstances. I am better than bitterness and unforgiveness. I am better than complacency and average. It is so cliché to say “This is My Year” the only way it will be your year is if you make definitive decisions punctuated by action to make it your year, otherwise 365 days from now we will be in the same place, with the same unrealized desires.

Our pursuit of God, is what ultimately matters, other subsequent pursuits even if realized at best are temporal. It is incumbent of us to pursue God with a reckless abandon with the assurance that His will encompasses the best for us in every area of our lives. Discipline and consistency will yield optimal results next year. Closeness of God is not experienced exclusively through how our emotions feel towards God, but rather through consistency and a daily pursuit of His presence. Disciplines such as prayer, fasting and bible study can’t be minimized. To pursue purpose without God and his word is the equivalent of trying to reach a destination without fuel and direction. Many youth and young adults have expressed a desire to know more of God’s word, and this demand has been met with the expansion of our Christian Education class to include ages 19 to 35. We have issued assignments and I am so impressed by the response of so many who have taken advantage of these opportunities to grow in God, and not be satisfied with the preachers revelation of God, but a real desire to learn His word for themselves. Please take advantage of these resources. Much of what we question and desire can be found in the word of God, however procrastination and complacency delays our spiritual and personal growth. No For real, this time May God increase my faith and commitment towards Him and may my actions become evidence of this increase.

May Gods will for our lives in 2010 be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.