The Two Most Important Things Any Person Can Do

I do believe there are two conscious stages in your Christian walk and many miss out on who they are because they only take the first. Here they are:

1. Trust in Christ for your salvation.
2. Commit yourself to him completely.

Many times both of these are taken together at the moment one becomes a Christian (although, this is normally only the case with those who become believers later in their life). However, I believe most of the time, especially in America, Christians take only the first and never put Christ in the driver seat of their life. They have Christ in the car but he’s only a passenger.

The second stage makes Christ the complete leader of your life. I don’t want to debate the theology of this. The Lordship debate is exhausting. Either way, I think we can all agree that these are the two most important things that anyone can do.

I used to tell God when i was young, “Wait just a while. I promise I will be back.” I lived in the world and was the epitome of sin. I kept telling God “I’m sorry.” The prayer I prayed the most was this: “You know my heart, so I am not going to lie; I really don’t want to commit myself completely to you, but I want to want to.” I prayed this for six years before I was spiritually and emotionally bankrupt in the world of sin. I felt that there was no one worse than me.

While I don’t remember the day I took the first step and trusted Christ, I do remember the exact day and where I was when I finally conceded everything to God. I was driving down I 2-40, passing Baptist hospital coming home from OSU Tech. There was a release in my will. It was a long time coming, but I told the Lord this: “Everything I have is yours. I am a living sacrifice. I will do anything you want me to.”

I must reiterate, I did not get saved or become a Christian at this time. I was already trusting in Christ. He was my only hope. At this point, I moved Christ (metaphorically speaking) from the trunk to the driver’s seat.

Since then, I have sometimes (as many of you know) taken back the wheel of the car. But the pattern of my life has been to drive to give Christ the wheel. I did not just want to want to anymore. I did not even just want to. But I gave it all to him. It’s hard and it is something I have to do over and over again, but the peace, hope, and knowledge that comes when I live according to reality—-a true worldview—-makes it all worth it.

Examine yourself. Have you only taken the first step? If so, pray that God gives you the ability to give yourself completely to him. And if you don’t want to, pray that you want to want to. And if you don’t want to want to, pray that you want to want to want to. It may take some time, but you’ll finally be able to rest completely in him. He is faithful and standing at the door of many Christians, knocking, wanting to have fellowship with him (Rev. 3:20). Open the door.

Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.