A teacher one day went into his high school science classroom filled with his students. Two guys that always sit in the front of the class were not engaged in the class at all and had C’s. They were just going through the motions to get a non-failing grade. In trying to motivate these two students the teacher asked one of them to come up to the board and write the word “apathy”. The student came to the board and wrote the word A-P-A-T-H-Y. Then he sat down and said “who cares.” We all either are or have gotten complacent in our lives at times. We want to sit back, enjoy a leisure filled, fun filled life in comfort and let the world go by. For us as Christians, we have so much at our disposal in the way of resources. We think being a Christian is acquiring more and more knowledge about the Bible and about God. But Christianity was not meant to be a consumer product but something that is obedience based and action powered. The Christian life was meant to be a risk taking, great adventure into the unknown. I have found that it is amazing the places God will take you and the people you will meet and the chance to see transformed lives right before your eyes if you have the faith of a child and trust in God’s promises. We were made to be more than we currently are. But sadly, a lot of people settle for a lot less than all that God has for them because they put parameters or limits on what they allow the Lord to do in their life.  We are called to be fully surrendered to God with our body, mind and soul for God to do with as he desires according to Romans 12:1 – 2“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”I have a Commercial Drivers License that allows me to drive bigger vehicles than a passenger car, say a school bus for example. Most school buses that I have driven have what is called a “governor” on it to limit the highest amount of speed one can go in order to maintain safety for the children and the driver of the bus. It was a restraint and frustrating at times when the speed limit allowed for a higher rate of speed than the “governor” would allow me to go. It limited the option of going faster. We sometimes consciously and maybe more so subconsciously have a way of telling God, you can have control in these areas of my life but some are off limits. I want to control those things, especially those that make me comfortable. That is a real problem with the current culture of Christians. My mind goes back to a video we showed in November here at the church when it was the Sunday to pray for persecuted Christians around the world. Two men in India I believe it was came to faith in Christ and they were relegated for the rest of their lives to make bricks and clean the sewers because they had renounced the Hindu faith in their community. They found joy in those jobs knowing they were serving the Lord. They knew, the two of them, that they would probably have no chance for a promotion in the social strata of their society but their real joy was focused on Sunday where they could worship with believers. To walk on water, you have to first be willing to get out of the boat. How can we break out of the status quo, our apathy, our desire to stay in the comfort zone?1.    Pray that the God of the Bible would reveal a promise by faith for you to claim and ask God how you can apply it to your life. Jeremiah 33:3; Daniel 11:32a; Psalm 37:4; Isaiah 6:8; 2 Chronicles 16:9 are some verses of motivation and inspiration to start with. 2.    Ask God where you can try to do something out of the ordinary routine of life in order to stretch your faith. ·         Take up a new hobby·         Join a book club·         Go to an exercise class·         Meet someone for lunch you feel needs some spiritual encouragement·         Volunteer for your favorite charity or non-profit·         Invite a neighbor or a co-worker to church·         Be involved in a different ministry in the church than you have ever been involved with before3.    Pray for God to show you opportunities and when the door opens, be obedient and walk through the door. You will be surprised by what God has in store for you with a new adventure. Retirement is only found once in the Bible and it was for the Levites (Numbers 8:23-26) and even then, at age fifty, they were to still help with the guarding of the temple. They did not go off and given freedom from all responsibilities. We are to use our resources, wisdom and experience as long as we are able to enjoy this great adventure God has given us called the Christian Life. I have had the opportunity to eat lunch with professional baseball players, pray with people in high offices of leadership in government and in the corporate world at times. I have been on missions’ trips to Brazil, Mexico and Canada. All those things and more not because of who I am but I made myself available to be open to where God would lead me. How about you? Are you stuck in a rut in your life? Do you like me need to change some habits or start new ones to see where God will lead you? My challenge is for you in these months of warmth, sunshine and opportunities to be outside, is to make yourself available for what God wants in your life, comfortable or not. My pastor, Dr. Jerry Falwell would often say “The best ability is availability.” Are you leaving the door open with no limits to see what amazing adventure God has for you this spring and summer? No matter what age you are, God has more great adventures in store if you will obey and follow His leading. That is the antidote to living a status quo life. I am faithfully,  Yours and His,Pastor Ed Hedding© Tithe.ly 2018