Working Smart, Living FaithfullySample

Day 3: Our Checklist for God

From the time we are little kids, we are taught to view the day as a checklist. From homework assignments to chores to morning and bedtime routines, we were rewarded for completing tasks. It’s no wonder many of us love making lists and checking items off. Those lists—especially when they’re completed—make us so happy and pleased with ourselves.

I have to ask, though, is this all God has in store for us? Making lists, checking things off, and feeling pleased with ourselves? Honestly, I’ve tried this way of life, and not only is it exhausting, but it also leaves you with a nagging feeling of never doing enough, never being enough. That proud, exhilarated feeling that rushes through you when you check off that last item lasts for only a fleeting moment. When it’s gone, there isn’t much left.

Rather than viewing the day as a checklist, a different, better way is to view the day as time. This might seem obvious, but your day isn’t made up of things you do, but it’s made up of time you spend. Whether you spend it cleaning the whole house, manufacturing 500 curtain rods, or cozying up in bed with a favorite book, you decide what you will do with the time you have in a day. Imagine the impact this perspective would have on how you organize your day. Now, imagine the impact it would have on how you live out your faith.

What’s cool about being a born-again Christian is that we’re not given a list of tasks to complete. I like to imagine God saying, “If you will follow me, I will adopt you as my child. Your sin is paid for when you repent, and I will always be with you to guide you and comfort you. Will you trust me?” (Matt. 4:19, Eph. 1:5, Acts 3:19, John 14:16, John 11:25-26). While Godsometimes asks us to do things for Him, He always asks us to live our whole lives for Him.

If you’re wondering what checklist Christianity looks like, check out the Old Testament Law (specifically Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and parts of Exodus); it’s pretty close. Christ’s blood took care of the checklist that we could never complete. In doing so, He replaced it with a shorter checklist. This is the only item on that list: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”