Irrefutable Evidence and Complete Devotion?

Thursday morning, October 2, 2008 [gorgeous day; 630],
Presently, I am reading George Barna's book, "Revolution" along with Jim Palmer's book, "Wide Open Spaces." The doing so has caused a "stirring" within me. Listen to this portion of what Barna has to say and I'm betting that you will experience your own heart-stirring: "The hallmarks of the Church that Jesus died for are clear, based on Scripture: your profession of faith in Christ must be supported by a lifestyle that provides irrefutable evidence of your complete devotion to Jesus . . . He died because He loves you and me, He wants an everlasting relationship with us, and He expects that connection to be so all-consuming that we become wholly transformed—Jesus clones . . . " (p. 25-26).
Now listen to this portion of what Palmer has to say and I'm betting that you will experience a different kind of heart-stirring (be warned!): As a pastor, I began having ambivalent feelings toward the Bible, but I suppressed those feelings because of my obligation to study and teach it. Despite this, even after leaving professional ministry, I maintained a regular time of personal Bible study. Quite honestly it was simply one of the many items on my daily to-do list, but there was very little joy or meaningful connection with God in it. My negative feelings toward the Bible intensified as my discovery of God apart from religion continued. After all, it seemed like the Bible was at the center of my Christian religion, a religion that had left me empty, exhausted, and disillusioned. During my process of shedding religion I put away by Bible for a season, and it's one of the best things I've done for my relationship with God. I quit reading it. I tuned out preachers and others quoting or referring to it . . . The results? God deepened His life in me during my hiatus from the Scriptures in ways I'm still coming to grips with. At the top of the list was the experience of God's unconditional acceptance . . . For me, God went from being locked up in a book that I accessed during morning quite times, sermon preparation, and Bible study to being everywhere all the time" (p. 48-49).
Now, listen up: I believe that Barna's intention is, well, it is well-intentioned; however, I must hasten to say that after 60+ years as a Christian, I have NEVER seen a clone of Jesus, not even close. Yes, I could simply be blind, but I do not think so, and I do not because there is nothing in the Bible that even hints that we are to be clones of Jesus. Disciples? Yes! Friends? Yes! Clones? Absolutely not! Admittedly, the notion of living a lifestyle that provides irrefutable evidence of one's complete devotion to Jesus might sound a bit intriguing; however, please do not take the "bait" to quickly. The terms "irrefutable evidence" and "complete devotion" give me the "willies," as I have never known even one person whose lifestyle provided me with either, certainly not my own.
Yes, I do strongly believe that faith in Jesus does affect the way one lives his/her life, but I am wondering if genuine faith in Him doesn't free us from thinking we have to live in such a way as to provide irrefutable evidence of our complete devotion to Him, and, instead, empower us to stop reading the Bible for a season, to stop having a quiet time, to stop thinking we have to "win the world for Jesus" and to simply take a rest in His finished work.
Having said all of that, I have this question: How has your being a Christian affected the way you live your life? Please think about this, and, by the way, I would love to hear your answers.

Blessings!
Mac