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This is the city. Near tragedy strikes at 13th and Alder. A young adult
male shoots himself up with heroin and passes out in the front seat of
a drug dealer's car. A spoonful of cooked heroin sits in his lap, to
be his next hit when he comes to. In the backseat, his girlfriend's five-month-old
baby screams from its unbuckled car safety seat.
Police find a diaper bag full of needles and other drug paraphernalia
in the car, plus a pink, plastic makeup bag full of more needles. Inside
the dirt-encrusted vehicle, a gas can sits next to the baby. Thankfully
the infant is unhurt.
The officers try twice to rouse the young man. He taunts them as they arrest and handcuff him. "You're wasting your time. I'm going to be out of jail in two days." Turning to the few onlookers, he screams at the top of his lungs, "Whichever one of you ratted me out, you're just an ___!" They watch silently as he leaves in the patrol car.
So what's the near tragedy? That the baby could have been hurt? That the young drug abuser could have overdosed? That he might actually get out of jail in two days?
Not this time. The near tragedy is that you or someone you know could have turned out to be him or his girlfriend or the drug dealer who owned the car—all young adults going nowhere at breakneck speed. The good news is that as a Vertical Thought reader you know a better way of living, and you're learning about an incredible future and leadership opportunity that is yours for the seeking.
Way of life from God
Revealed in the Bible is the absolute moral code of the universe. This is a dogmatic statement, but you can prove it true. And you must verify it to be true in the face of direct and shrill opposition from an extreme, immoral popular culture that permeates most college and high school campuses and life in general. This culture wants your mind and body in the worst way—the worst, sexually corrupt, degraded and destructive way.
But it can't have you. You don't belong to it. You already belong to God who created you. Your mind and body are sacred. It's where God will put His Spirit at baptism upon your repentance and commitment to Him through Jesus Christ.
A sacred mind and body is meant to live according to that great moral code. In practical terms that means no alcohol abuse (drunkenness) and no drug abuse (which is a sin because it causes instant drunkenness). It means no sexual activity before your marriage, no pornography and no lustful thoughts. It also means no bloodlust, no violence toward others, no emotional feeding frenzies on violent video games or violence-glorifying films.
That may seem like a long list of noes, but when we live the right way of life charted by God's moral code or law, there are many more yeses than noes. Two letters in the New Testament were written to a young man named Timothy. This one sentence summarizes the negatives and pans the panorama of affirmatives in God's way of life: "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:22).
Today there are only a few who understand God's law of true morality in all aspects of life. Our young heroin addict and his friends certainly don't have a clue, and amazingly, even the vast majority of relatively responsible religious people don't comprehend it either. You can be among the few.
God expects you to live His way of life; that's part of your life's purpose. But there is infinitely more to come. You can lead among the masses of mankind by living right today, and then lead in changing the world tomorrow.
Future from God
Did you ever watch the cartoon series Pinky and the Brain? No doubt only in reruns now, there were these two mice. Pinky was the sidekick and the Brain was the brain. The plot in each episode was the same—the Brain was planning to take over the world and Pinky was to help him. It never worked; they never took over the world. But guess what God has in store for you as a part of the few?
We sit at the turning point of world history. The gospel (good news) of the Kingdom of God is all about Jesus Christ returning to take over the world and establish a full millennium (1,000 years) of true peace. Those called by Christ now—including you—to herald and prepare for His second coming are the "Pinkys" who will assist in the takeover.
To serve as a sidekick of the ultimate "Brain," Jesus Christ, means that you will serve as a leader of the people who will repopulate the nations in the Millennium. Set after the wars of this age end, the following beautiful prophecy shows how Christ will lead—and thus how you and all who are Christ's at His return will lead—a recovering humanity:
"Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock [the people] like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young" (Isaiah 40:10-11).
Many groups and movements want to save the world today. Sadly, their best efforts will prove ineffective largely because they just don't comprehend who the God of the Bible is and what He is doing. But as a part of the few who do understand God's way and plan, you will have the leadership opportunity to truly save the world in the future. The worldwide culture you will help build will eradicate the societal problems of today, including crime, marriage and family breakdown, drug addiction and such.
Before us, stretching out for 1,000 years and on to eternity, a magnificent, pulsating, brilliant and happy future filled with leading, serving and loving others beckons those who hear and heed. Relatively speaking, many are called today to know of this future, but few are chosen to live it and lead in preparing for it now (Matthew 20:16). How do you get chosen?
Calling from God
Here's a lightning bolt: Jesus Christ is not trying to save the world today. That statement runs smack against what traditional Christianity thinks. But God has a plan to offer salvation to every human being from Adam and Eve to the last baby conceived. No one will be left behind from the Kingdom of God because of living at the wrong place or wrong time. God believes in equal opportunity salvation. But not all are offered that salvation today.
Jesus said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up [resurrect him] at the last day" (John 6:44). As a vertical thinker, you are being powerfully drawn and called toward the great Savior and Messiah of all mankind. The burden of knowing the truth of God weighs on your mind and spirit. But it's a good burden. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light," said Jesus (Matthew 11:29-30).
Jesus Christ wants you. He has chosen you for this calling to turn to Him and learn from Him, to take part in His body and work today and to provide leadership in the world tomorrow.
You were not called or chosen to be the young, ill-tempered heroin addict or his foolish girlfriend (pity that poor baby) or his drug dealer buddy. Your future is something infinitely better. As a young leader before God, you have the opportunity to help physically salvage and spiritually save these people.
So what do you do now? Respond in good faith. When God calls . . . answer! And join the few, the called, the chosen. VT
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Keywords: leadership God's plan God's calling moral code
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