"Rebel" with a cause!

I am an avid reader! I think there's a vast world to be learned in the careful exploration of a good book, or even a good blog. I've read a number of books and blogs lately in which a clarion call has been sounded, drawing you... no... hog-tying and dragging you toward a particular "cause." Some of the arm-twisting tactics border on vicious: telling you that if you don't campaign against abortion, vociferously oppose homosexuality, or feed the starving in Africa, you are probably not a good Christian. I've often wondered at the motivation of such people and why it is they think their "cause" should take precedence over any other. Don't misunderstand me to be suggesting that these are unworthy causes. I simply take exception to the tactics used to promote their causes.

I have begun to place more credence in the notion that it is human nature to live, and maybe even die for a cause. I think our lives derive value and meaning from having a cause that makes a positive difference in people's lives. Whether it is teaching the Bible to unreached peoples, teaching English in a foreign country, or just putting a smile on the faces of "faceless" and "nameless" kids that we probably won't ever see again this side of heaven, we seem to thrive on causes. So I wonder: is this an active part of being a good Christian or are we in danger of becoming so much like Martha, that we are too busy to sit at the feet of Jesus, like Mary? Do we hide behind "serving" others, to avoid the spotlight being placed squarely on us, and our need to let God do what He wants to in our lives? Isn't the primary purpose of Christianity a personal life-altering encounter with the Savior?

I'm only asking these questions because it seems that there are so many of us who spend so much time serving "causes" and so little time serving Jesus, so that when the enemy strikes a blow against us, we all-too-quickly turn our backs on the "cause" of Christ: simply living for and loving Him regardless of what that may look like. What does it look like to serve Jesus as our primary cause? No answers from me today, only questions. What do you think?