Sojourner #016: Living For His Glory

 How Snowboarding Can Honor The Lord

[8] For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. [9] For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. (Romans 14:8–9, ESV)

This article is part of a series titled, "From the Editor's Desk", a collection of essays from Sojourner's Editor-In-Chief. Our earnest desire is that these short essays might point you towards our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

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Living every moment for His glory. What a thought. Every action, every thought, every word, every adventure, all in pursuit of His glory. Many view this as no way to live, but what I would submit to you, as followers of Christ, is that this is the only way to ever truly live. 

Does this mean that we will ever do so perfectly? By no means. We are all too human. We fall short, we err, we stumble, we fall, we endure suffering, we face trials, we chase after other competing ambitions - but Christ has succeeded in every way we failed. Looking to Him, by faith, we can pursue the greatest pleasure of all - knowing the Lord our God and enjoying Him forever. Chasing after His glory, knowing that He has already won the victory for us.

Speaking with a dear friend of mine recently following a snowboarding trip we discussed how, as those who belong to Christ, we should live in such a way that honors the Lord - that even the way we snowboard should look different than the way the rest of the world does it. 

Our lives should not be lived in pursuit of our own self-gratification, rather we should lay down our lives for the cause of Christ, serving Him (and by doing so, better loving others).

Now, I still walked away from that trip with bruises. As I sit here writing this I can feel the pain in my leg from a particularly hilarious fall I took within my first couple minutes on the board. But more than any of that, I walked away with joy - not found in my (fantastic) snowboarding ability, but found in the time spent among others who are chasing after His glory, building up / bearing with one another in love (1 Thess. 5:11). I believe there's a lesson to be learned in that about what this Christian life should look like - an authentic Gospel producing authentic relationships.

Many times we look at the Christian life in terms of secular and sacred. We have "church" stuff, and then we have everything else. Christ is first on a list of many other things. We divide our lives into neat little boxes. However, I don't believe that this is the biblical model. You see, Christ is wholly set apart. He is the preeminent Lord of the living and of the dead (Rom. 14:8-9). He is the Lord who reigns over every area of our lives, not just the "church" stuff. 

The Gospel should (and will) permeate every area of our lives, as God continues to perfect what He has begun in our lives - He will bring us out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land.

So, whether I am riding in a Land Cruiser on a dirt road in the mountains of a third-world country on the way to set up a medical clinic in a rural village, breaking my tailbone snowboarding with people I care about, singing hymns alongside my local church on Wednesday night, working in an office building from 9-5 during the week, or sharing the Gospel - every bit of that is done "coram Deo" or before the face of God. Everything, everything in my life is under His Lordship.

My prayer is that our lives would continually be lived in light of that reality. That we would bear one another's burdens, as Christ has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. That we would love one another unconditionally, as Christ has loved us. That we would serve one another, as Christ came not to be served, but to serve. Looking to Jesus, enduring all things for His sake. This is something that happens as the Kingdom of God is realized in our lives more and more. 

Consider Christ's words in John 15:4-11:

[4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. [7] If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. [8] By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. [9] As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. [10] If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. [11] These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (ESV)

So, I implore you: Ask the Lord to produce this fruit in your life, as the Holy Spirit applies the truth of the Scriptures to your heart. Meditate upon the truth of God's Word. Seek the things that are above, where Christ is. Live as a sojourner in this land, and bear with one another as we all seek to honor the Lord with our lives. If you do that, I assure you, you will have great joy.

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