An Ordinary Life is No Longer and Option
First there was Superman - my wife was a great Superman fan. Then Batman came along - and he had his followers. And now Spider-Man has hit the screens which seems to indicate that he has his followers also. And what about me? I’m more of a Phantom fan - no matter how evil the enemy, no matter how sophisticated the enemy is in plotting their criminal intent, the Phantom always gets his man - ooops I should say - he always gets his person! Even though he only drinks milk and his gun is not used for killing.
So while I may not be very interested in this web-spinning, skyscraper-climbing, crime-fighting guy in the spider suit, I am interested in something he said in the first movie. Peter Parker is the bookish teenager who gets bitten by a radioactive spider one day and begins to discover that he has suddenly developed some amazing spiderish abilities. (Okay, I'm reporting the story; I didn't write it!) Now it dawns on him that he can't just use these abilities for himself. He has to use them to make a difference. Here's what he says: "For me, living an ordinary life is no longer an option."
Here we have an ordinary guy who suddenly realizes he has some extraordinary powers available to him, and that he can't settle for ordinary any more. What we have in his statement, is a picture of any man or woman in whom Jesus Christ lives! And the Jesus I am talking about, is the One who has conquered death by rising to life again on the third day after being nailed to that Cross. God’s power in raising His Son is the most powerful force on earth. And the day you gave yourself to Him - the day you became a Christian - that same resurrection power moved into your life.
That's what Paul is talking about in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15: "Christ's love compels us...He died for all His people, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again." So what is supposed to be the practical result of Good Friday and Easter? That you stop living for yourself, you stop settling for small and ordinary, and you start living a life worthy of Jesus' Good Friday love and His Easter Sunday resurrection power.
How can anyone in whom this death-conquering Christ lives, ever settle for ordinary again? Paul expressed his lifelong passion this way: "I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection..." (Philippians 3:10) - exploring, unleashing and experiencing the awesome Jesus power which is in you!
Maybe you're like so many believers. You've got an unexplainable restlessness inside. It's saying, "There's got to be something more than this." It's saying, "I want to make a greater difference with the rest of my life than I've made until now." Well, it's God who made you restless. He wants you to realize the power which is at your disposal. He wants you to give yourself to a mission far larger than your little kingdom, your little comfort zone - He wants you to live for more than just yourself. Your life should amount to more than your study, your job, your hobby, your family or your retirement
The chains that tend to bind you to your own small world of your own, a world which has brought little joy or satisfaction, a world which has stopped you growing in the love and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, a world in which selfishness has restricted you - not only in not serving and loving Christ, but in not serving and loving others around you as well - well, these chains needn’t hold you in that world any longer. Jesus Christ has resurrection power to set you free!
If you'll commit yourself to resurrection living, you can confront any monsters from your past; ones that have haunted you and kept you bound for way too long. You can face fears. You can move beyond bitterness, selfishness, lack of love. You can throw yourself into doing some things that will last forever, that will bring peace and joy into your life, and love and encouragement into the lives of others!
It’s time to tell the Lord that you're tired of business as usual. No longer need you be chained into a world of self-interest, of bitterness and resentment, of jealousy and perhaps even hatred - no, you are not going to settle any longer for a life that's just way too small, and non-productive, if not destructive. Paul reminds you that you are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10), and taking hold of Christ’s resurrection power, those good works will result in loving Christ first and foremost, worshipping Him and Him only, serving Him under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, being a blessing to others, and taking hold of the hope that in Jesus Christ, there is nothing that is able to separate you from Him, not even death.
Your life will change, you will see other lives change. People will come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Others will be encouraged and strengthened in their faith. Paul said:"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection..." (Philippians 3:10) For the Christian who is a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), living an ordinary life is no longer an option!" Grace and peace......