What does meaningful life look like?

This morning I met someone at a church encounter weekend for new believers.  To my surprise, I found that he hadn't accepted Christ yet.  I found it interesting that he had agreed to come for a two-day encounter without accepting Christ first, so I took time to sit with him and find out more, and walk through some of the basics of Christianity that he'd heard about for the past two days, particularly our John 3:16 Good News In A Nutshell illustration (ask me if you haven't heard of it - it is an excellent 5-minute summary of what Christianity is!).

As I chatted with him, I found myself not only explaining, but also reflecting myself, on what Christianity, and more broadly, life, means.  When I was younger, I thought the Christian life basically meant two main things: (a) going to church; and (b) praying when we need help about something - studies, work, health, family etc.  But really, going to church only made me, well, a church-goer, not a Christian.  Praying when I needed help did make me a believer, but only in a god who was really just Santa Claus!

So what then does being a Christian mean?  As it happens, some really great sermons have been preached on this topic over the last 2 weeks.  One excellent summary was this - as Christians, we have two main ministries.  The first is towards God - a passion for God.  The second is towards people - a compassion for people.

1 Peter 2:5, 9
You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ...
You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

As the verses above illustrate, we are called to offer worship to God (upward), and to declare Him to others (outward).

This is reflected in the famous Westminster Confession, which succinctly explains that the answer to life, the universe and everything is not 42*, but rather that "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever" i.e. enjoy Him (relationship with God), and glorify Him (relationship with others).

Insofar as our relationship with Him is concerned, this comprises reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, and enjoying His presence.  But it is not the end.  Not by a long shot.

Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments were "Love God" and "Love your neighbour as yourself".  But when Paul was writing to the church, he understood that he could teach these same commands simply as "Love your neighbour as yourself" - see Galatians 5:14.  Why?  Because he understood that "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.  For whoever does not love their brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." 1 John 4:20.

So how do we know what loving our neighbour looks like?  Well, acts of service and kindness for one thing, like the Good Samaritan who cared for the stranger he found robbed and beaten.  But even more important, sharing the Good News.  Because in the end, all that matters is whether our names, and the names of the people we love and care for, are in the book of life - see Revelation 20:11-15.

Jesus' last command was "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."  I wouldn't be surprised if He picked up the conversation where He left off when we meet Him again.  "So Glenn, how did that going, discipling, baptizing and teaching thing go?"  And then what would be my answer?

If you are a Christian, then like me, let's remember our loving Father's instruction in Revelation 2:1-5.  He says, "I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance... You have persevered and endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.  Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.  Consider how far you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

As I heard from the pastor in church yesterday, what God is saying is this: even if we are able to say that we are of great reputation, standing and works, we stand charged of forsaking our first love.  If we do not repent, He will remove us from our place.

This is how serious it is.  Have we been closer to Jesus before?  More committed to His work?  More surrendered to His will?  If the answer is yes, then the hard truth is that we have drifted away from Him.  Is there any circumstance that can excuse our drifting?  The old excuse of "this is not my season of life" to serve?  Perhaps the demands of our work?  Children?  Even our health?  No.

Why?  Is it because God is unsympathetic of these earthly demands?  No, on the contrary, it is because God has already loved us and provided us with all we need.  "Who shall separate us from the love of God?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

Nothing in creation shall separate us from His love.  By the same token, we are without excuse when we live apart from His love, and apart from His commandments to look outward from our own little lives, and reach out to our neighbours.  There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can separate us from Him, except our choice.  What is our life choice today?

* For all non-geeks, see Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Don't panic.  As long as you have a towel :)