Megasinner
Are you excited to see Megamind? I must admit at first I had a 'take it or leave it' sort of vibe about the film, but when you investigate the film's ingredients, it stirs up an appetite for a quality comedy/adventure offering.
For example-Will Farrell vs. Brad Pitt? That's like Elf vs. Benjamin Button! And as well, how many times do we get to see what happens when the bad guy truly wins and drastically changes the nature of reality in the world? And when he does, he realizes that without an enemy to fight, life becomes mainly pointless and mostly meaningless. And then…when he gets dissatisfied with that, becoming a hero looks incredibly appealing.
But that's only in a movie, right?
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Perhaps, but I disagree - and here's why:
I think if I sat you down and had a nice little convo over Starbucks, within a short while I would pick up on what is really going on inside you.
You are bored.
I know you are busy-everybody seems to be these days. But busy and bored can co-exist just fine. In fact, you might even fill your schedule to the brim because you're afraid your life could be mainly pointless and largely meaningless.
If you are a Christian, though, the word 'boredom' shouldn't even be in your vocabulary…unless, of course, you've forgotten the enemy that lives in the chambers of your heart and infests the core of your soul:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should (Galatians 5:16-17).
Of course some-many even-have given up the fight against their sinful nature, so not only are they bored, they are trapped in a life of this:
People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well (Galatians 5:19-21).
It's not too late to get back in the fight, you know. The Holy Spirit of God who dwells within you is watching and waiting for you to let Him join the fight and defeat the "Megasinner" inside you. When He is victorious, your life will look like this:
God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-25).
Sure doesn't sound like a pointless life to me! And when we have defeated our sinful nature and choose to "follow the Spirit"-He will lead us into position to become a hero.
How? Let me ask you something: do "happy, peaceful. Patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled" people stand out in our culture? Absolutely! And when you carry a powerful demonstration of what Jesus Christ has done in your life, people want to know how you are able to maintain consistent joy and contentment in your life.
And that's when the Spirit leads you to share the message of the gospel with the prisoners of the ultimate evil presence in the universe-Satan and his army of demons.
Pointless life? I don't think so… the "point" of my life is pointed straight at defeating my sinful nature through the power of the Holy Spirit and pointing people towards Jesus Christ!
Meaningless life? Ah, not so much. I've been given the most meaningful task anyone could imagine-to share the good news about eternal life with anyone who will listen!
And bored? Hardly. I'm in a fight that will last until my dying day or when Jesus returns. Each day I face an enemy inside me that is smarter than any Megamind because the adversary is me. I know myself, so there is no surprise attack available, but I also know that with a simple prayer and act of faith, my sin nature can be crushed like a fly that accidently landed on Chuck Norris' bicep…BAM!
Don't let your Megasinner nature keep you captive to boredom and bad choices. Go out and be the hero of your city!
Flashpoint: Ignite Into Action
Ask your friends if they sometimes feel bored with life and if they wish they had an "enemy" to fight. Pray for an opportunity to share your struggles and how Jesus has enabled you to defeat your sin nature and find contentment and joy in life. Also, ask you unsaved friends if they see anything in your life that they don't have but would like to.
Accelerant: Feed the Fire
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God (Romans 6:13).
I have discovered this principle of life-that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power[a] within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin (Romans 7:21-25).
Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives (Jude 1:23).
