The REBEL

The Rebel

"To fight against the ruling power".

This is the definition of the word rebel. This pretty much sums it up for my life. I have become very familiar with this word, because it was a word that I was pegged with early on.
I was always the "2^nd" child. 

 I had heard this so often in my young life, that I was almost expected to be the one to break the rules. The crazy thing was is that I liked the title. It actually thrilled me a bit. Don't ask me why, it never led me to anything but trouble. Fighting amongst my parents and me was really common. In fact, if I remember right, it might have actually become an everyday occurrence for a while there.

I'm not sure exactly when I got started with loving this word. I used to be a really good kid. Never wanting to displease anyone, especially anyone of authority, I would find myself apologizing for everything. That began to change right around the time I started high school. I can't pinpoint really anything in particular. There were no big moments that changed my life for the good or the bad. I just slowly drifted to being the one that people could count on to be the black sheep of the family. It became an expectation that I was almost proud to wear around.

As I look back over my life, I realize that there have been so many changes that could have only been orchestrated by God. Only He could have ever changed my heart in such a tremendous way.

What dumbfounds me though is that to this day, I still love to be the rebel. Why didn't that change along with everything else God was changing in me? Surely God does not want me to be a rebel in the church, or in His family. Even more, He doesn't want me rebelling against Him. He has set the rules, and with Him, the consequences are just too grave for me to ever think that I can change His Mind!

So who am I? Can I ever be this person whom I have always felt I was? I realized this week, that the answer is a huge YES!! In fact, I even believe that God is calling His people to all put on that label.

I have been studying some verses this week: Revelations 3:15-16.

"15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

16 So, because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold— I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

As I look around, I think I am beginning to believe that the norm these days, or the "ruling power", is to be lukewarm. I believe the statistic for Americans that would call themselves Christians was 75-80%. Now most of you have probably rolled your eyes in disbelief. I know I pretty much laugh at that stat. How can millions of people claim to love Jesus, and then choose to not live their lives for Him? It is like they want the prize, but not the work. Who wouldn't want Heaven as a prize? Pretty enticing to anyone, actually. Who would say yes to hell and no to Heaven if the question was posed to them in that form? Not too many. So we now find ourselves in a country where everyone wants to go to Heaven, but doesn't want to live their lives in a way that proves it: Lukewarm.

We have a choice. Some of the people that you love the most may live in this category. After taking a close inventory, you might even fall into that category. Please hear me when I say that you don't want to stay there! The verse says that God will spit you out. No one wants to experience that! I believe that the reason He is so harsh about lukewarm people is because of another verse with the same address.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, will not perish but have everlasting life."

Lukewarmness makes God sick because of what He had to give up to give us Heaven. So you now have people that take the sacrifice for granted. They choose God in one moment, and then push Him aside in the next. Thankfully God is not a god that will bow to others. You will never find Him giving us Heaven just because we beg Him and whine and plead. He has set the boundaries and the rules, and they must be followed. Don't think that you are going to get in because you bat your eyelashes and give Him puppy dog eyes. It just won't work.

You are being asked to live a specific way. You are being asked to put Him first, always. You are being asked to repent, which always includes a change. It's about living a life about God, not you. It's about a life committed to making a difference for Christ.

Because God is amazing, He always leaves the choice up to you. He will never make you choose Him.

You are being asked to be a rebel. A rebel with a cause. A cause for Christ.

What's your choice going to be?