Day 303: Stick to the Status Quo

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Now when many of us hear the word “status quo” we will automatically break into song, “no no no, stick to stuff you know!”. For those of you who do not get it that was a reference to High School Musical, which will tie into what we discuss today. But first let’s define this word or these words.

Status quo- the existing state or condition.  

Now in High School Musical, the original one, the school went up in flames when everyone found out Troy Bolton wanted to sing and not only sing but sing in musicals, with the theatre department. This is what inspired the song, ‘Stick to the Status Quo’ The song is a protest of Troy changing, they don’t want him to change, they want him to stick to pattern and the dynamic that was already created. Some people (Chad, Sharpay, Ryan) were upset about this revelation while others found it inspiring and started revealing themselves more. Troy was the jock, basketball star, everyone loved him, and he had a bigger influence on his peers than he thought. Something he did as one person changed the dynamic for the rest of the student body.

There’s a few things to point out within that explanation. The first being, what was our current condition or existing state? As the scripture above points out so vividly, we were all once sinners. At one point in our lives we led a life that led us away from God not towards Him. That’s what some of us were, but the scripture goes on to say that we were sanctified. We were washed clean when we accepting Christ into our lives and that changed the status quo. Our condition at the time was sin, but Jesus came along and changed that for us, and He changed us.

Sometimes change is hard, and hard to accept. We get so used to living a certain way that we freak out when things start to change. Like the students in High School Musical, they were so used to things being a certain way that when it started to change they had to push back. Sometimes we push back when it comes to allowing God to change our hearts and our lives because we’ve held on to these things for so long that letting them go is almost like letting a piece of ourselves go. Then we have the people in our lives who cannot seem to accept the fact that we are changing. You ever met someone that wants you to stay in sin because you were “more fun as a sinner”? We all have a past and for many of us that past looked like a life full of fun, or at least what we thought was fun. But honestly we didn’t really know what it mean to live. We have all had moments where people have referenced the person we used to be trying to bring them back. That’s not the person that God wants us to be, and if there are people around us pushing us to go back into that lifestyle then they should not be around us. Troy didn’t really have good friends or at least they were not being good friends to him.  Sometimes we can be so held down by what people think of us, or how our friends will react when they find out that we have given our life to Christ, and that means there will be things that we will no longer participate in. We deal with peer pressure on a different level, whether you smoked, drank, and partied every night and decided to stop because you’ve found fulfillment in Christ. Or maybe you’ve decided to be celibate or abstinent until marriage. There is always that fear of how people will react or what will they say. This is a real thing, but when we have Christ is our lives there is no reason to fear the opinions of others because at the end of the day our relationship with God is more important than what people think and the only opinion that matters is God’s opinion.

Troy changed the dynamic of the school, he did something that brought people together and it changed how they began to view one another. Same for us, Jesus changed the dynamic of this world when He gave His life for us on the cross and was resurrected three days later. When Jesus came and lived a life true to God, it caused people to take that example and begin to walk like Him. He raised people up to carry the torch when He was gone from the earth and to take His place at the right hand of God. Basically what Jesus did was He came and changed the status quo, and many people pushed back. Many people did not believe, but for those who did, He changed our hearts and taught us to walk like Him.

All this to say, don’t stick to the status quo and do not be afraid of change. If our existing condition is sin, I’m here to let you know that there is a way out and His name is Jesus.

Reflection

1. Do you find yourself sticking to the status quo fearing change?
2. Can you recall a time when you felt pressured by your peers to return to your sinful past?
3. Do you want a way out?

Prayer Time

Allow you answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today, whatever is on your heart pour it out to Him. If you want a way out of this sinful lifestyle and you want to make that decision whether it be the first time or you want to rededicate, now is the time.

If that’s you if you want to make that decision, pray this prayer with me,

“Jesus I declare that you are my Lord and Saviour who died for my sins and was raised three days later. I repent of my sins and I give my life to you. I believe in my heart that you are the true living God. I pray that you shine your  light on me and bring me out of the darkness and into your light. I love you Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

If you made the choice to follow Christ, rededicate, or to submit your life to Him fully, Go to Romans 10:9-10

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

I love you so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! If you made the decision to follow Christ today, do not hesitate to reach out and get plugged into a church. I love you and make sure you come back tomorrow for day 304!