All of you celebrities reading this blog (and I’m sure there are a lot of you), I want you to know that I’m lifting up a prayer for you. And I’m encouraging others to do the same.
It’s not that I’m praying I’ll get to meet you or that you’ll send me free swag or invite me to spend the day on your big yacht or at your expensive mansion. (Although, I must confess there are some of you I wouldn’t mind meeting this side of Paradise for the sake of a good conversation.) Rather, I’m praying that you’ll start using your God-given talents for… well… God, and that people will know it.
First, I pray that all of you celebrities who claim to be Christ followers will do more to raise awareness of your faith and how God has given you your gifts to share with others. Remember all of you who wore your milk mustaches to get me to drink more milk? Well, stuff like that works. Can’t you wear your “armor of God” and encourage me to share the Gospel?
I know, it’s hard to share your faith with others, especially when the world wants you to be quiet and accepting of all walks of life, and your image is constantly under scrutiny. Being “too out there” can be damaging to your career, I know, but our salvation in Christ is supposed to be an “inexpressible joy.” I don’t necessarily mean you need to go all Kirk Cameron, but I do wish more of you would be like Bono, the lead singer for U2, who appears to wear his faith on his sleeve while putting it into action.
You say you know who Bono is but not Kirk Cameron? Hmm…doesn’t matter. Because if we’re to believe what the Bible says about God placing people in positions of authority, and that nothing happens without God’s hand of approval, then I think we can stretch that to include all of you celebrities. If God can raise up, put down and raise up again a king like Nebuchadnezzar, once a world leader, then I’ve no problem believing that He can sustain you, a Christian celebrity, and your career as it suits Him.
And so, I want to see more of you stand up and tell the world what you believe in … and then, and this one is the kicker, I want you to act like it. Pick up your cross like you really, really mean it.
Second, I’m praying for all of you celebrities who don’t know Christ, or maybe you know about Him, but you’re pretty sure you don’t need Him in your life. And I’m not just talking about those of you who make a public wreck of your lives. (As an aside, you know I once had a dream that I shared the Gospel with Britney Spears during one of her difficult spells, one of those where, whoops, she did it again… As another aside, I waited in line once to meet Paul McCartney to tell him about Jesus, but the closest I got was a hand shake out of the limousine window as he drove away.)
You know that paragraph above about raising up, putting down and raising up again a king like Nebuchadnezzar? Well, that’s you, too. You see, everyone of us is sustained by Jesus Christ, given the chances we’re given, whether we know it or believe it. There is nothing in this world apart from Jesus Christ, but not all of us can call ourselves sons and daughter of Christ.
What do I mean by all of this? You see, even you, with your acting or musical career or whatever makes you famous, were created for purpose in Christ, and unless you submit to Him, you’ll never really realize your full potential, which is to glorify God. For some of you, that scares you, because maybe your potential in Christ has nothing to do with being a celebrity, and this is the hurdle you’ll need to overcome. But for many of you, I’ve no doubt being a celebrity is exactly why you’re here. You’re just not doing it right until you do it for Christ.
Now, what I’ve written really doesn’t just apply to celebrities, although for many of us in this world, we’re attracted to who you are and what you do because you’re famous. No, anyone reading this post should know that if you believe, then God expects you to show it as if today was your last day. And if you don’t believe or don’t think you need God like the rest of us, well think again, because the day will come when every knee shall bend and call upon the name of Jesus. To me, it seems a no-brainer to give in and do it now while you’re still on top rather than on your way down. Although, God will obliged anyone at anytime.
The thing is, we all need Him, and deep down inside, I think you know it, for the Bible says we can know God by His creation, and that each of us really longs to know Him.
I can say from experience that I once walked a life without God — although I was never famous for it — and I now walk one with Him. It’s definitely the road less traveled most days, but to borrow from that celebrity of a poet Robert Frost, it has made all the difference.