ARE YOU FLIRTING WITH JESUS?

Hadley Baker

Have you ever literally laughed out loud watching one of your friends try to flirt with a guy or girl?  We all have “that friend” who thinks they are God’s gift to the opposite sex.  So convinced are they of their magnetic appeal that they routinely flirt with everyone.  Watching this unfold can be incredibly entertaining and sometimes down right hilarious.  At other times it can be excruciatingly painful.

The summer before 11th grade I had a job working at a moving and storage company. WJE. That means worst job ever.  There was another guy about my age who worked there.  I think his name was Ray (it was a long time ago).  This dude thought he was God’s gift to the ladies.  I don’t know what mirror Mr. Ray Ray was looking in, but he was most definitely seeing something that I was not.  Not trying to rude, just saying this guy wasn’t exactly David Beckham.  Despite the fact that he had never been (or ever would be) voted most handsome, he flirted with girls everywhere we went.  One day we were on our lunch break eating in a local Pizza Hut.  Throughout the whole meal Ray-Dawg kept popping off, “Dude…you dare me to go up to our waitress and ask her out?”  I remember thinking that this guy would have a better chance of teaching an elephant to speak Spanish.  Undeterred by my skepticism, Ray-Money walked up to this waitress and dropped his sweetest pick-up line on her.  I can still see her face as she rolled her eyes and made that Jimmy Fallon “EW!” sound.  It was hysterical! As I look back on that moment, I wonder to myself what Ray would have done if that young lady had accepted his offer.  Was he prepared to make a commitment to this girl?  Was he willing to cut off all of his flirting with other females?  Would he be able to give his undivided attention, respect, and devotion to her?  I think you know the answer.  He wasn’t looking for a commitment.  He was just flirting.

Sometimes on Wednesday nights I will look across the room and ask myself, “How serious are these students about following Christ?”  Just being honest when I say that I often wonder what will happen to some of you when you leave Verve.  I wonder (and worry) if you will keep following after Jesus.  While I have seen many young people continue to press on in their faith, I have seen many more who fizzled out for one reason or another.  It makes me question myself.  If I am really honest it makes me feel like a failure sometimes and wonder where I went wrong.  Where did I miss it?

But what it all boils down to ultimately is your heart.  Are you entering into a life-long pursuit of the God of the universe, or are you just flirting with Jesus for a few years?  Is this about a covenant or about convenience?  Today as you are reading this I hope that you feel a stirring in your heart like never before.  I hope something inside of you is longing to know God in a way you never have before.  I am sitting back and waiting to see who is gonna step up and be a voice for this generation.  Who will be an unashamed Jesus lover?  Who is gonna break through to that next level and say, “God I am all yours!”  Because that, my friend, is what a covenant is all about.

In 1 Kings 19:19-21 (take a moment to read this) we see the story of a young man named Elisha.  He was working in the fields when the prophet Elijah came to him and asked him to become his assistant.  This invitation was a huge honor, but also a huge sacrifice.  Elisha would have to give up everything to follow Elijah.  Did you see his response?  He slaughtered the twelve oxen he was plowing with.  He made sure that he would not (and could not) go back to his old life.  He said goodbye to his family and he followed the prophet.  Because he said yes, he witnessed many miracles in his lifetime.  He was used by God in mighty ways because he entered into a covenant. God will do the same for you when you get serious.  Things that may seem impossible will become reality when you give your all to the Lord.

Are you the next Elisha?  Will you be the young person that answers the call to follow God no matter what?  Let’s quit flirting.  Let’s quit playing games.  Let’s jump in with both feet and see the impossible become possible.