Faithful

I was reminded today that we are called to be faithful.  In whatever I do. Let me translate what I mean.  On Monday I had the privilege of leading a time of chapel/discussion at the local shelter in town.  The guys that are there to hear the Word are there for the purpose of recieving a meal ticket that can be used to eat dinner that night.  Going in I was a bit anxious about the fact that I would present the Word to them in a discussion format and yet could not shake the feeling that they would hear what some of them have heard no doubt a thousand times.  I was worried that I would just be another guy coming to tell me about Jesus and it would crack not a stint of thier armor.  Leaving I didn't recieve any feedback that told me it was any different than how I had envisioned it.  They came, they heard, they got a ticket and left.  Minimal discussion but some, and again as I had assumed they usually had it pretty much nailed down.  It is after all the south.  Churches on every corner.  Missions in every major town that to some degree or another offer the same kind of things.  All of this is well and good. Even necessary. I think that a one in one million success rate via what missions have to offer is easily a justifiable expediature.  If one in a billion even was all that came to Christ through the offerings presented the billion at a location such as the one I volunteer at was the only "fruit" then Praise God.  I do believe that despite my worry and anxiety that that is easily a realistic number and more that find life in this way.  That is called being faithful.  After all who am I there for? If it is for college credit hours only then I am being unfaithful to my call.  If it is for a feel good sensation at positive feedback from those in attendance and no more than that I am not being faithful.  If it is in the acknowledgement, however that in me dwells the risen Christ Almighty, and that He will do in me and through me whatever it is that He desires regardless of the "fruit" I may or may not see.  Well that then is being faithful.  And that is also what it means to say Not I but Christ.  Its His Word and the earth is the Lords and all that is in it, so I can only be faithful to proclaim the gospel at all times, in all ways, in all circumstances and look not to being rewarded with visible fruit but rather only being faithful to Him.  He will take care of allllll the rest.

In Christ,
Phillip James Gilmore

What Does that mean?

So first post here will be to answer the question that may arise from the title above.  What does "Not I but Christ" mean?  On that foundation stands the very nature of my existence.  It has not always been so.  I am 29 and suffice it to say the phrase the first 26 years was a bit more like "All me, who needs this Christ anyway" kind of thing.  Let me give you background.  In 1996 I accepted Christ into my heart at church and recieved the free gift of salvation.  It is a free gift offered by the blood of Christ.  Yet within a year to a year and a half I rested on that basis alone and figured I needed no further reliance upon what Jesus or the Father in heaven had to offer me.  I really just wanted to do what ever the heck I wanted to and felt I deserved that right for reasons that will become more clear as my testimony comes out.  Over the course of this blog you will recieve bits of my life pre Christ, that led up to many of my false beliefs about why I made decisions I made from the ages of 17-25.  For now note that I was bitter about my first 15 years of life and felt like I got a bad "rap" growing up.  Used it as an excuse to live life for me and flex my "free will" to live for me.  Anyhow to get back to the question at hand.  What does "Not I but Christ" mean?  Well long answer short it means that I finally came to the realization that when I accepted Christ at 15 the appropriate response was not "Thanks for the pass to heaven, now I can do what I want", but rather "My life is now your life, Jesus and I surrender it to you".  Vague to you still? Well, let me elaborate.  Unfortunately when we "accept" Christ in todays culture often times it is for that "free pass" to heaven, yet we fail to accept Him into our real life.  Just into our spiritual, save me from hell life.  It's like "Hey Jesus, I don't want to go to hell but how about you hook me up with a crib up there in heaven." Then it's "Now, just so you know I still want to have fun down here so I believe in you and all, and I want that house up there somewhere in heaven for when I die, but I want my sex, and parties, and my money, and all these cool things down here.".  That person was me.  I felt like I had a right to do whatever the heck I wanted.  And I wanted to do those things, so I did.  That kind of "Christianity" is a Thanks Christ but I life and what we are really supposed to say is with Paul in Galatians 2:20-"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me".  So for this verse to be true of me I have to say Not I but Christ.  I surrender EVERYTHING to Him, for Him, and only live to do that which brings Him glory and satisfies His will not mine.  That means whatever I do, wether I eat or drink or whatever I do I do it all for the glory of God.  Not just my soul for redemption from eternal damnation, I surrender my actions, and yes my very existence to serving His purposes and when I do that I do that with a heart that says for this life to be lived out for that greater purpose.  That purpose being His glory.  Since it's His glory and not mine I have to let this be not my life but Christs life.  Because like it or not, when I accepted Jesus into my heart and life I gave Him the authority to be my life every minute of every day, awake of asleep.  That is just a taste of what it means to live a life of "Not I but Christ".