Philippians 1:21 (ESV) "To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Up until just about a year ago, I don't think I really knew what it meant to live in the abundant life to which God called His followers. I knew what the "typical" teenage Christian lifestyle should look like (church, FCA, youth group, etc.) but I didn't understand what it meant to truly live my life in Christ. In order to live more than just a "typical" life, your mindset has to totally change.
Throughout junior high and even the beginning of high school I grew in my walk with the Lord, but I was missing a key part in my relationship with Him, which basically brought me to a stop in my growth....and that part was surrender. I'd never been outside of my comfort zone or felt like I didn't have control over things. I knew that God is in control of everything and that because I know Jesus my life should be radically different than those who don't believe, but I didn't really get why. Up until the summer before my junior year, my life felt pretty much the same as everyone else's around; I was comfortable and people knew that I was a Christian, but I still didn't get the concept of surrender. That summer God brought me to a point where He flat-out taught me what surrender is and showed me that my life was not being lived wholeheartedly for Him. He started to work in my life in big ways. The more I focused soley on Him, the more peace and joy I was filled with. At the end of the summer, He opened the door for me to go on my first mission trip, to Honduras. I'd always thought a life in missions might be what I was called to, but I'd never pursued it. While in Honduras, I knew it was God alone who'd brought me there. He showed me that when our focus is on Him, not on this world, then we can live the life of freedom and fullness He's called us to.
Way too often we get caught up in our lives and forget that this life is so short. For some people, it's getting content doing our own thing and feeling (sometimes subconciously) like we know better than God. Then some people let fear of what God might do in their lives keep them from walking in full submission to Him. If there's anything stopping you from submitting all-out to Him, I want to encourage you to center your life completely around God and His truths, because only then will your life be meaningful and used for a purpose bigger than you could ever imagine. In The Message, Philippians 1:21 says, "Alive, I'm Christ's messenger; dead, I'm his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can't lose." When you give your life completely to God, there's nothing to fear because no matter where He takes you, you will be living in Him. And let me tell you, that's when you are truly living.
