Changing the Default

I went to a Leadership Conference at Lincoln Christian University this past Saturday with two guys from our church board.  We had a good trip and the main speakers did a great job.  We left with a few ideas for the way our leadership functions at the church.  We left encouraged.  By far the best thing that I heard, and maybe the best thing that I've learned in 2012 is what Dr. James Estep said in his lunch session.

"Education is the process of changing someone's default settings."

I have never heard someone wrap up something so large as education in such a concise manner.  Just plain genius as far as I am concerned.  That sounds a lot like discipleship.  It sounds like following Jesus.  As Christians we are supposed to continually be formed into the image of Christ.  We are to grow to be like Christ.  It is not something that changes quickly.

As we apply this to the Kingdom of Heaven, the metaphor could be a team, an adoption into a family, a marriage, going through boot camp, etc.  In the biggest changes in our lives we have a default setting that needs to be changed.  The army uses bootcamp.  Teams use practice.  In the Kingdom of Heaven we must pray, fast, read the Word, and practice the spiritual disciplines in order to change our default settings.

Changing default settings is incredibly hard.  It requires taking an honest inventory of ourselves.  It requires reading things that we naturally disagree with.  It requires learning something new and improving ourselves.  It requires effort and discipline.

Maybe, as you walk along your path of life it would be a good idea to constantly work on changing your defaults.....I believe that may be called "growth."

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