Flying High for Jesus

We all have our "Lots" in life. Mine tends to be my consistent exposure to misunderstandings and disappointments with others. Sometimes I wonder, "am I the ONLY one" who is serving Christ with my whole heart? Where are all the other "Christians" who are willing to reject the norms of the culture and live a life that is contrary to popular belief?" Sometimes, we can feel like we're the only ones flying high...sometimes, we can honestly feel as if we're the only one flying at all.

In Daniel, the prophet records his experiences as a young man, where the pleasures of life were surrounding him and free for him to indulge and take part in. There were many young men from his homeland who didn't seem to mind participating in various affairs. But not Daniel. Scripture says that he chose not to "defile himself" (Daniel 1:8).

Those around him probably thought he was so extreme, or not realistic, but Daniel was willing to fly high for God. That is how I want to be. I want to be like Daniel: I want to live a life that is so closely reflectant of Christ, that no one would ever have any questions or any doubts about my commitment to Him. I want to make sure that my choices, my activities and my lifestyle is as far from the middle road as possible. At the end of the day, what does it matter if it's not pleasing Christ? And who do I think that I am to justify certain behaviors that I would not want to include Jesus in?


In our Christian society, people talk a lot about "conviction"; using the term as if to justify their own personal feelings towards one thing or another. But truly, our only conviction, as Christians, should be to live a life, based on scripture, such that others are drawn to Christ. If my choices and lifestyle are contrary to scripture, then my feelings are irrelevant. We must all consider the teachings of Paul, which are lead by the Holy Spirit:

"And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."- Colossians 3:17

So I'd like to ask you this: are your deeds a representative of the Lord Jesus, or are they a representative of the culture, your friends or yourself? And if, indeed, you do have a heart for Christ, whose authority and influence are you navigating your choices by?

I hope we all humble ourselves enough to realize that this life for Jesus is not to be lived on our own terms, but on His. He continues to give us the power, through the Holy Spirit, to stand firm against temptations and activities that do not reflect His name. So the choice boils down to us: are we willing to Fly High for Jesus, even if that means flying all by ourselves? I hope we can all come to a place in our hearts, where we are willing to take such a challenge; just like Daniel. I hope we can all decide that our priority will always be to please our Savior and not our culture or our selves!

Something to think about...

~Pearls