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Mike Sciarra > Getting Back on Track
One thing is true about all of us: our lives are easily derailed.
Things are humming along and all of the sudden we jump the tracks, a massive pileup. Today, it might be the end of the school year, pre-summer, plus mid-stream daily trials, that has you on the ropes.
Your life feels like a mess. Your perspective is warped. You are distracted. Your relationships seem shallow. You haven’t stopped to read the Bible or pray in days. It feels like a crisis. And your soul is going a mile a minute. You can’t connect the dots.
Like greedy gluttons we load up plate after plate at the all-you-can-eat buffet of life. We cram as many responsibilities, activities, and diversions into each 24-hour span. Then we crash. Too busy, too burdened, out of control. Overcoming is a daunting task.
To stop the vicious cycle and start going in the right direction at the right speed, here are five intentional Jesus-dependent choices (John 15:5) to get back on track with God and others:
1. Sit at the proverbial feet of Jesus
Pay attention to Jesus. Let go of self-important busyness. Listen to God’s Word. Pour your heart to Him, offer everything weighing you down. Turn from sin to Jesus. God gives repentance and forgiveness. Do what Mary did. (Luke 10:38-41)
2. Say Yes, and No, to the right things
Chances are you are saying Yes, and No, to the wrong things. Start saying yes to every opportunity to fulfill the mission Jesus gave His followers. Say no to all the things that keep you from that mission. (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:1-8)
3. Invite Someone to Jesus
Nothing trumps wallowing in letdowns than initiating conversations leading to biblical evangelism. Tell someone about Jesus. Bring them to church. Pray for their salvation. Your eyes will be diverted from yourself. (Acts 8:26-40; 1 Peter 3:13-17)
4. Learn Something New About God
Know and obey God’s Word. Read a Christ-centered book. Take time engaging your household and small group in Bible study, prayer, and sharing your lives as you lean on Jesus. If we are not learning and growing in Christ we are stagnating. (Acts 2:42-47)
5. Be a Giver Not a Taker
Ask God how you can bless others. Don’t think about what you will receive. Live for Jesus and the Gospel. Focus on worshiping God in all of life in thought, words, actions, home life, work, eating, giving, and playing. Like Jesus, serve and give (Matt. 20:28).
Getting back on track is not easy. There is no magic bullet. There is only one solution, the one Savior: Jesus Christ crucified, risen, exalted, and returning. Look to Him, not yourself. Trust Him with your life. Jesus is an all-encompassing whole-life Savior and Lord. Life only works when He has first place in everything (Col. 1:18).
Join the conversation About Mike Sciarra
Dr. Mike Sciarra is the senior pastor of Grace Church in Orange, California. A church actively practicing multi-generational worship, small groups, and outreach. Mike and his wife Angela have been married for 25 years and have five kids ranging in age from 13-23. He has an MDiv in Bible exposition from Talbot seminary as well as his doctorate in family ministry. He has been an adjunct professor at Talbot and has written many family ministry articles and contributed to a number of books. He aims to equip households to live Christ-centered, Word-focused, Gospel-saturated, Missionally-minded lives.
