Time to Move from "I Am" to "I Will"

Your attitude determines who you are: I am joyous. I am angry. I am grateful. I am jealous.

You get the picture. Our attitudes are the foundations of our actions. If I am joyous, I will tend to be an encouraging person. If I am angry, I will tend to be a critical person.

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To help illustrate this point, let me talk about my marriage to Nellie Jo from my own perspective.

Let’s presume I have all the healthy attitudes in place. I love her unconditionally. I focus on her strengths more than her weaknesses. I am grateful for her, for the gift from God that she is to me.

And that’s it.

I never serve her. I never ask her out for a date. I never offer her words of encouragement. I rarely spend time with her.

So what would Nellie Jo think of my good attitudes? She would rightly think they are contrived and insincere. She would doubt my commitment. She would wonder if I am truly committed to our marriage.

Maybe many of you reading this have a good attitude about your church. Maybe you are not in the group that whines, complains, nags, and pouts. Maybe your heart is really in the right place.

So here is my simple question. Is your attitude reflected in your actions? In case you are wondering where I am headed with this question, let me offer you an example.

Several years ago, we considered the most active church members who attended church around three times a week. They might attend a Sunday morning Bible study or a Sunday morning worship service. Others might return for Sunday evening events or Wednesday activities.

Do you know how much that perspective has changed in just a few years? Today, many pundits define an active church member as someone who attends church events or services at least three times a month.

Did you get that? An active church member has now been re-defined from three times a week to three times a month!

I can anticipate potential objections, “Don’t make this matter a legalistic obligation! We don’t need an activity checklist to be close to God!” I understand. But let me ask you this question. Would your spouse think you are still devoted to him or her if you decided to reduce your time with him or her by 75 percent? That’s what is happening with even some of our most committed church members.

It’s time.

It’s time for a decision.

It’s time for a church membership revolution.

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Not because we are legalistically obligated. Not because we equate activities to commitment. But because a great attitude toward your church, the bride of Christ, will result in great actions for her.

Will you join me in this revolution? Will you prayerfully consider giving your life’s all to commitment to Christ through His church? Will you be a part of a movement that will change the world as the body of Christ unites in force with renewed effort and renewed zeal?

It’s time.

Christ is calling all church members to forsake self and to serve others for His sake. In doing so, our church becomes our priority and our focus as it was in the New Testament.

Listen carefully to this call of God. Listen to how you can discern your commitment in His church. And when you begin to understand the action plans He has set before you, be prepared to respond with two simple words.

I will.

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Excerpted from I Will by Thom Rainer
Excerpted from I Will: Nine Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian by Thom S. Rainer