Going Through The Motions

The other day on the radio, I heard a story from a Christian signer-songwriter about the impact one of his songs had on someone (or rather, how God used one of his songs to impact someone’s life). The song itself is very compelling and convicting (as you can see from the lyrics below). However the story he told is what really struck me, so I thought I’d pass it along.
The singer told how a man came up to him at an event and told him:
“I don’t want to take up much of your time, but I wanted to tell you how your song, The Motions, really impacted me and changed my life.
“I was a very successful businessman, working my up the corporate ladder, getting all of the promotions and bonuses, etc. But my job required that I travel a great deal of the time. It was on those trips, usually late at night in the hotel room by myself, that I really felt the emptiness of running from what God wanted for my life and pursuing the things of this life.
“Although I attended church regularly and did a lot of ‘church-people’ things, I knew I was just a ‘surface Christian’, not giving God all He wanted from me. When those feelings overwhelmed me, I would usually try to find a local Christian radio station and listen for a while to comfort myself.
“One particular sleepless night, at 4:00 a.m., I came across a station that was playing your song, The Motions. That song just hit me like a ton of bricks, putting into words all that was going on inside me. And then the strangest thing happened, the DJ came on after the song and said, “We don’t normally do this, but I just have a feeling that someone out there listening needs to hear this song again. So here goes . . .”
“Well, during the second playing of the song, I was literally crying on my bed. And then I made one of those ‘deals’ with God. I told God that I would quit my job and do whatever He wanted me to IF - and this was such an improbable ‘if’ that I felt safe saying it - your song played again.
“As soon as the song finished, the DJ came on again and said, “I may lose my job for doing this – even at four in the morning - but something is telling me that someone needs to hear this song one more time. So, I’ll play it for a third time.”
“When that song finished playing the third time, I got out the hotel stationary and wrote my resignation letter. I am now the associate pastor at the church where you will be playing tonight.”
The artist is Matthew West and the lyrics are below. You can also view a video and listen to the song by following this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaHmiFaX_pk
This might hurt, it's not safe -
But I know that I've gotta make a change.
I don't care if I break,
At least I'll be feeling something.
'Cause ‘just okay’ is not enough,
Help me fight through the nothingness of life
I don't wanna go through the motions.
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
Instead of going through the motions?"
No regrets, not this time
I'm gonna let my heart defeat my mind.
Let Your love make me whole
I think I'm finally feeling something.
'Cause ‘just okay’ is not enough,
Help me fight through the nothingness of this life.
'Cause I don't wanna go through the motions.
I don't wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
Instead of going through the motions?"

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt the ‘emptiness’ and ‘nothingness’ of running in circles chasing after the things of this world?
What about God’s calling on your life? No - everyone is not called to full-time ministry on staff at a church, but God has called you to be His. Are you fulfilling that calling by ‘giving Him everything’? Or are you merely ‘going through the motions’?
Are you dutifully checking off a list of what you think you have to do to keep God ‘happy’, or are you filled with God’s all-consuming passion?
Maybe you intend to wait until you’ve built up your ‘nest egg’ before you get serious about surrendering to God. Maybe you want to get your kids raised and out of the house before you focus on serving Him. Perhaps you believe you need to become something better or ‘more spiritual’ before God has a use for you.
Jesus made it clear that the time to respond to His calling is NOW. “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)
As Matthew West said, “this might hurt, it’s not safe”. But Jesus called us to an abundant life (John 10:10), not a life that is ‘okay’, and not a life that is ‘going through the motions’.

“So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.” (Luke 7:46-49, NLT)

Are you ready to fully surrender to what God has called you? Are you ready to be consumed by His passion?