I think of the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2. They did all the right stuff but God said, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” It sounds like they too were in a rut. His solution to them was to 1) Remember: “Remember the height from which you have fallen.” 2) “Repent.” 3) Retool: “Do the things you did at first.”

It is important to understand that the word repent actually deals with the mind more than behavior. It is a change in your thinking that enables you to “retool.” A lot of boredom in the Christian life has to do with perspective … how we view the Christian life. Here are some things I believe make a difference.

1) Duty vs. Delight – The church of Ephesus did the right stuff but something was missing. When Christian life becomes more about duty (going to church, reading Bible, etc.), some of the excitement and motivation goes out of us. When we keep it about love and faith in what HE will do in and through us, we can live in anticipation out of which generates an enthusiasm and excitement in the Christian life.

2) Drudgery vs. Joy – Our society tells us to live in the moment, to get all you can now and instantly. The Christian life, however, is a process. We don’t experience all the rewards of being a Christian right now. We often have to simply persevere, even go through hard times. If we view the Christian life through our circumstances, we can easily get discouraged or go into the humdrums. Can we be content, like the Apostle Paul (Phil. 4:11), regardless of our circumstances? We can if we maintain a big picture perspective. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Heb. 12:2-3)

3) Destination vs. Journey – Again, the Christian life is a process. We never arrive. We continually press on. (Phil. 3:10-14) When we get stuck in ruts it is often because we lost site of the venture.

4) Law vs. Grace – We have not arrived. We sometimes still sin. We sometimes have dry spells. If we beat ourselves up because of where we are, we will find it hard to get beyond. The focus needs to get off of “Am I doing something wrong?” to the grace and help we find in the Lord to change. Condemnation is oppressive and holds us down. Grace is freeing and builds us up. Titus 2:12-13 says that it is grace that “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

When your Christian life can be described with words like duty, drudgery, destination, and law, you will not tend to take those faith risks. However, when it is about delight, joy, grace, and you understand that you are on a journey, you will be more likely to step out.

Let me encourage you to read through the book of Philippians with the above four points in mind. As you read, keep asking yourself what a difference it makes if you approach the Christian life from a point of duty versus delight, from drudgery vs. joy, from destination vs. journey, and from law vs. grace. Look at the Apostle Paul’s example in this book in these regards.

1) “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10; Prov. 9:10), not degrees or licenses. Any counsel we give or receive should be filtered through God’s Word (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We should look first and foremost to God for wisdom (James 1:5). The question that needs to be asked is if having a license deprives a Christian from having and exercising godly wisdom.

Keep in mind that the license merely certifies that you have met the criteria to be a professional counselor based on courses taken from an accredited institution and hours put in. The training itself can be from a Bible college and Christian Graduate School, meaning that you can receive training from a Biblical perspective.

2) Jesus certainly should be considered the master counselor after whom we follow (Isa. 9:6). No, He did not have a license. But, neither was He ordained. Does that mean we should not attend churches with ordained pastors? There are so many things in our modern world Jesus did not have so can we use that criteria of “WWJD” in specifics or do we need to look at principles? For example, in Jesus’ day they didn’t have cars. Does that mean we should not drive because we would have to get a license from the state? Jesus was never married, so does that make all married people un-Christ-like? If He was married, would He have gone the route of getting a marriage license from the state?

3) God’s Word certainly does warn against being entangled with or yoked with the world (2 Cor. 6:14). At the same time, Jesus Himself said, “Render (give) therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” He even miraculously provided the coin to pay the tax (Matt. 22:17-21). Keep in mind that having a counseling license does not necessarily mean a person is beholden to the “state” unless in a state-run/funded agency or perhaps in other secular organizations.

The question becomes, how do we live in the world without being of the world (Jn. 17:14-15)? What does that look like practically? Based on “WWJD,” at minimum, we would pay taxes. Consider these questions in making a personal decision about becoming a licensed counselor or going to a licensed counselor: At what point do we cross over into loving the world and its ways (1 Jn. 2:15)? How can we best be lights in the world (Matt. 5:14-16)? Is it possible for a licensed counselor to be a light in the world, to not love the world, and to be in the world but not of the world?