Baseline Living – Not OK!
“Baseline living is not ok. It’s not fine for you to settle for going everyday to a job you’d prefer to quit, doing decent work, being a pretty good neighbor, paying for your bills on time, & sporadically reading the Bible as though its your guide to the great things God did in other people’s lives in the past”. GREATER by S. Furtick
I have never been a girl who goes for mediocrity and I think that is why this quote from GREATER by Furtick just screamed at me! My personal mission statement is SHINE, where the “N” stand for “never settle“!
In 1 Kings 19:19, Elisha was minding his own business plowing the fields with his oxen. Steven Furtick says he was looking at oxen “rears” everyday, all day. He was doing everything he was supposed to do – but then everything changed.
God had been talking about Elisha behind his back to Elijah, pronouncing that Elisha would be the man who would take his place as prophet. Elisha’s life would never be the same after Elijah threw the mantle of God’s calling over his shoulders!
In verse 20, Elisha asked to say goodbye to his parents because he knew that the calling God had place on his life was the real deal – no turning back. He also burned all of his oxen and his plowing implements. Talk about commitment – Elisha destroyed anything that may have tempted him to return to his “baseline” living.
It is human nature to return to our “default settings”. Even Jesus’ disciples went back to their default baseline existence of fishing after His death and resurrection (see John 21:3). Default living is comfortable and we know the drill. We do not have to depend on Jesus or have much faith in our default world.
Does Jesus expect such a dramatic change in your job or lifestyle? I cannot answer that for you – I don’t know the mantle that He has thrown on you. Maybe He wants you to stay where you are, but do what you are doing differently or with a renewed passion.
I remember doing this very thing in my science teaching career. I had reached the point where I thought – I cannot talk about a single electron, proton, or neutron ever again! I got depressed and did not teach to the best of my ability. I finally asked God to renew my passion. Not only that, I knew I had to get my behavior in line with what was right, not with how I FELT. When I got my behavior back in line, my passion for teaching was reignited.
Or maybe Jesus does want you to go in a totally different direction. Maybe the discontent you are feeling in your baseline living is His prodding and prompting you to do something GREATER. Pray that God would make the mantle He has thrown on your shoulders clear to you and those around you.
It’s worth repeating:
Baseline living is not ok.
