What Matters to God...and what doesn't

When I get to the end of my life, I do not think it will matter to God

...if I was a good person 
...if I did more good things than bad things in this life 
...if I gave a lot of money in the offering plate or to good causes
...if I posted religious "memes" on Facebook and warned my friends to share them or risk people (or even God for heaven's sake) thinking they don't really love God, are ashamed of Him or don't want Him to radically bless them with something "miraculous" in the next 24 hours
...if I said "Amen" to all the social media posts that were anti-whichever people group the right wing is mad at or offended by this week 
...if I spoke, dressed, watched, listened, read, lathered-rinsed-repeated what was modest and in good taste just so I could judge anyone who didn't


What I do believe will matter to God is this...

...if I believed in His Son Jesus and received Him as my savior, leader, forgiver and LORD
...if I had a personal relationship with Him that went beyond religious dos and don'ts but gave me a burning desire to do what pleased Him because He's worth it
...if His Word was the filter through which I saw every decision
...if I lived my beliefs rather than beat people over the head with them
...if what people saw and believed about my relationship with Christ made them want to get closer to Jesus - not run away from Him


As I read back over those two categories, I am stepping on my own toes and asking for forgiveness for the times when I live in the first category more than the second.  There is certainly a place for moral living, modesty, generous giving, agreeing with truth (except those memes...I really hate those!), but if that first category is the measuring stick by which I determine my Christianity then I will routinely hit road blocks when I am not doing enough, saying enough, or being enough. We simply cannot succeed at that kind of Christianity for the long run.

If, however I live in the second category, what the world will see is a real relationship.  One that falls down and gets back up.  One that owns it's mistakes, that seeks to love, encourage, build up others first. One that knows that the Christian life is not based on our performance but on God's grace.  My life will look different - sometimes even odd to others but not unwelcoming or unloving. 

Lord, would you keep my feet securely in the things that matter to you.  Take captive my thoughts, my actions, my desires that they may draw others to you. Forgive me when I get in the way.  You are God.  I am not.  Amen and Amen.