February 26, 2004
Have You Seen It?
I know what you're thinking, 'I can't go ANYwhere without seeing mentions of the movie The Passion of the Christ.' Well, uh, sorry! Major news.
Here's my thoughts:
I think this movie is going to be a cultural phenomenon and a catalyst for renewal/revival in the Western world. People will be cut to the quick, I'm thinking, as they were during some of the apostle's preaching. I hope so. That'd be cool. A lot will depend on us, the body of Christ. How will we handle people, whom we thought to be unbelievers, who ask us questions about how to believe in Christ, how to be forgiven, etc. If revival spreads like a flood or a fire, then I hope we respond the right way.
I have tickets to a 7pm showing tomorrow night. I am so looking forward to this. I'm thinking of actually bringing a big box of kleenex brand tissues with me to the theater, but then again I don't want to be noticed (so I'll just stuff my pockets with a few).
"The toothbrush doesn't matter! Be quiet!" That's what I just told my daughter, who is trying to think of excuses not to go to sleep. There's my lame parallel to thinking in light of eternity, which was today's point in the Purpose Driven Life book. Our lives here are just a blink and eternity is so much greater. Our live's here should be lived with eternity in mind. I love the concept of, "If you're not going to bow the knee to God, then live unbridled. Go hog wild after sin. If there is no God, don't worry about consequences, the repercussions of selfish living, just go for it all -- all the time. Of course, parents would hate for youth pastors to teach this to their kids; but it's a "get real" and "get serious" message. People who play games with God or pretend to be something they're not are really just wasting everyone's time. Let your love be full-on (according to your definition, not everyone else's) or let your rebellion be full-on. That's the major part of today's chapter. Then it ends with a flip to: "Instead of living your life like 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life,' you should live like 'Today is the last day of your life,' as in preparing for the end. That's a great focus, because it puts purpose into your daily, weekly, monthly, annual plans and actions. If you want people to remember you as someone who loved them, then you'd better get busy loving them! Makes sense to me.
