As I cross the bridge over the interstate, I look down at the cars racing past me to get to the city. Their are many who are rushing to work; car pooling, changing lanes and feeling the stress of the white-knuckle traffic. Thousands of people heading into the heart of morning traffic, working hard to make their dreams a reality. Providing for their families and paying their mortgages. Achieving the American Dream. Saving for the vacation, the house at the lake, the college funds for the kids. They come home to fast food and a few minutes of time with the kids and the spouse, hoping the weekend will bring relaxation and a slower pace. But somehow it never really quite happens. Even the time spent on vacation is not completely enjoyable with the worries of life hanging over head. The dreams have outpaced the income, or at least trapped them on the hamster wheel. They can't afford to get off and it is too devastating to try to slow down.
Although God wants us to provide for our families and help our children have a financially secure future, maybe we just want too much. A little bigger house, a nicer car to drive, a little bigger yard to play in. None of these things are wrong in themselves, but God does not want us to stress about housing, clothing or food. In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of a man whose fields were very productive and so he thought to himself that he should build bigger barns. He says that this man's motives are not on target and he will die and all of the wealth will be useless. He prefaces this story by saying: “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” This beg's the question, What is this life for? Shouldn't we be happy? Shouldn't we have all of the things we want? I understand that God provides good jobs and employment for us. If we are good stewards of what He has provided, He may bless us with more. But consider for a moment His words in verse 33 of chapter 12. He says to sell your possessions, give to charity and thus, store up treasures in Heaven. Other portions of Scripture are devoted to telling us as His children to give to the poor and needy, share our food, give one of our shirts to the one who needs one. What He is advocating here is while providing for your family, seek out opportunities to love the poor, the forgotten and the needy. The widows and orphans need just as much care as our own families. Maybe this is why He has already provided so much for you, so that it can be shared.
As I sit here and think about all of the things that it would be nice to have, to own and possess, I remember how I used to think that I had it all. Even though what I owned may not have been a lot in the world's eyes, it was enough for us to be comfortable. And yet, it was not even close to what God had in mind for me. A half-hearted relationship with Him, and guessing at best at what His plan was for my life. I was increasingly becoming dissatisfied with my work, thinking that it would satisfy and complete me. Like we all tend to do, I looked for Him in things that were temporal and were valued by this world. Truth is I had all but lost sight of the world to come. I was living for the now. Living my blue collar man's version of the American Dream. Thought I was a man, because I provided for my family. Not a bad thing, even in God's eyes, but my motives were all wrong. Deep down, I was working to please God in such a strange and unrecognizable way to Him. He was steadily calling me to rest, calling me to focus on Him. To see that the things that I could do for Him of value, were things that I had not been seeking to do. My spiritual eyes were dimmed and I rarely thought of things that would store up treasures in Heaven.
As believers, we forget that our citizenship is in Heaven and not this world. We go about our lives running and buying, selling and trading our way to getting what we want to make ourselves comfortable, happy and satisfied. We forget that all of our satisfaction is found in Him.
< “God is most glorified when you are most satisfied in Him.” - John Piper >
We try to fill it with other things, even good things, at the expense of a healthier and deeper relationship with the God who Provides. We lose sight of the fact that God saves us for the purpose of bringing others with us Home to Him. We are designed by God for relationship with Him. We bear His image and so does everyone else we meet. We are to share The Story with others, not only to live for ourselves. There is a mission to be involved in and that may look different for each one of us. Our sphere of influence may be as different as we are. There are people who only we will come into contact with; to try to connect with. Our lives are not about what we want, but the Life that He wants for us. To share His most satisfying Love with others. And that is living for the Mission.
Although God wants us to provide for our families and help our children have a financially secure future, maybe we just want too much. A little bigger house, a nicer car to drive, a little bigger yard to play in. None of these things are wrong in themselves, but God does not want us to stress about housing, clothing or food. In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of a man whose fields were very productive and so he thought to himself that he should build bigger barns. He says that this man's motives are not on target and he will die and all of the wealth will be useless. He prefaces this story by saying: “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” This beg's the question, What is this life for? Shouldn't we be happy? Shouldn't we have all of the things we want? I understand that God provides good jobs and employment for us. If we are good stewards of what He has provided, He may bless us with more. But consider for a moment His words in verse 33 of chapter 12. He says to sell your possessions, give to charity and thus, store up treasures in Heaven. Other portions of Scripture are devoted to telling us as His children to give to the poor and needy, share our food, give one of our shirts to the one who needs one. What He is advocating here is while providing for your family, seek out opportunities to love the poor, the forgotten and the needy. The widows and orphans need just as much care as our own families. Maybe this is why He has already provided so much for you, so that it can be shared.
As I sit here and think about all of the things that it would be nice to have, to own and possess, I remember how I used to think that I had it all. Even though what I owned may not have been a lot in the world's eyes, it was enough for us to be comfortable. And yet, it was not even close to what God had in mind for me. A half-hearted relationship with Him, and guessing at best at what His plan was for my life. I was increasingly becoming dissatisfied with my work, thinking that it would satisfy and complete me. Like we all tend to do, I looked for Him in things that were temporal and were valued by this world. Truth is I had all but lost sight of the world to come. I was living for the now. Living my blue collar man's version of the American Dream. Thought I was a man, because I provided for my family. Not a bad thing, even in God's eyes, but my motives were all wrong. Deep down, I was working to please God in such a strange and unrecognizable way to Him. He was steadily calling me to rest, calling me to focus on Him. To see that the things that I could do for Him of value, were things that I had not been seeking to do. My spiritual eyes were dimmed and I rarely thought of things that would store up treasures in Heaven.
As believers, we forget that our citizenship is in Heaven and not this world. We go about our lives running and buying, selling and trading our way to getting what we want to make ourselves comfortable, happy and satisfied. We forget that all of our satisfaction is found in Him.
< “God is most glorified when you are most satisfied in Him.” - John Piper >
We try to fill it with other things, even good things, at the expense of a healthier and deeper relationship with the God who Provides. We lose sight of the fact that God saves us for the purpose of bringing others with us Home to Him. We are designed by God for relationship with Him. We bear His image and so does everyone else we meet. We are to share The Story with others, not only to live for ourselves. There is a mission to be involved in and that may look different for each one of us. Our sphere of influence may be as different as we are. There are people who only we will come into contact with; to try to connect with. Our lives are not about what we want, but the Life that He wants for us. To share His most satisfying Love with others. And that is living for the Mission.
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