I had a conversation with my wonderful son last night. It's one of those conversations that will last a lifetime. That conversation was rather pointed and spurred this thought in my heart. Many of the lives of people are lived at the mercy of circumstances, situation, issues, people's opinions, and the like, instead of being lived the way it was meant to live from the beginning. We were never meant to live our lives according to all of the those things, but rather to live our lives in fullness of what the Lord had intended for us to live. Now I know that many of us gain our life substance from what we do, and men are notorious for doing that. But I would like to suggest to us that we take a step back and look at what we're calling "living".
I know people who live to ride motorcycles. Their favorite thing is to get on their crotch rockets or hogs or what have you and feel the wind on their faces, throwing caution to the wind, and feeling free. Nothing wrong with that at all. Not in the least. Then there are people that live for the music and the stage. What drives them is the rush of the shouts of the crowd, the excitement of their name in lights, and the notoriety of their achievements. Their are people who live for sex, who live for food, you name it and there's bound to be someone who lives for it.
But here's a question.....
What happens when the motorcycles break down? What happens when the music stops and people are no longer cheering for you? What happens if something traumatic happens to your body and sex is no longer an option? What happens when you become too overweight to even enjoy food because is you attempt, you will die? You know what happens?
Your life ends.
If you live for money, eventually the money will run out. If you live for conquests of businesses, buildings, stocks and bonds, eventually there will be nothing more to conquer.
So what's my point? I'm glad you asked.
Look. Everything else we have in life to pour our energies into will require US to make happen. They are not self-sufficient and cannot stand on their own. They are powerless in life unless we do something with them. They need US to exist. But that's NOT what God has made available to us.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Moses said to the Children of Israel by the word of the Lord that God had placed before them LIFE and DEATH, BLESSING and CURSING. THEY had to make the choice of which they would take. There were consequences to both, but the choice was theirs. That same option stands before us today, everyday of our lives. If we CHOOSE to walk contrary to the word and the plans of God, we will experience the fruit of it. If we CHOOSE to walk in the ways the Lord has planned for us, we will experience the fruit of it. The question is: "WHICH FRUIT DO YOU WANT?" I mean, it's one thing to say YES to God, but it's a whole different thing to follow up our "yes" with obedience to His word and submission to His ways and plans.
It seems to be the "in" thing nowadays to "claim" to be a Christian without submitting to the plans of God in regards to that declaration. Therein lies our life. Walking WITH God is life. Walking WITHOUT God is death.
Listen. God says He came to give us life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). But remember that the life He offers has come at a high price and requires a high price from us as well. He said to "take up your cross and follow Me." All of us have a personal cross that we must carry in order to follow Him. For some, it's CHOOSING to lay down the desire for riding motorcycles IF it comes between them and God. For some, it's laying down eating food in excess IF it comes between them and God. For some, it's laying down the fame IF it comes between them and God. Do you see a pattern here? God has given us all good things to enjoy in this life and in the life to come. But the moment the "things" of this life become more important than living for and in obedience to Him, we have a major problem. He is to be FIRST and everything else second.
So what's YOUR cross? What do you hold dear to your heart that has become more dear to you than God? Are you willing to lay it down until things in your life are in the correct alignment? Would you be willing to lay it down forever if it is required? You have to choose.
I encourage US all to CHOOSE life.
Peace.
I know people who live to ride motorcycles. Their favorite thing is to get on their crotch rockets or hogs or what have you and feel the wind on their faces, throwing caution to the wind, and feeling free. Nothing wrong with that at all. Not in the least. Then there are people that live for the music and the stage. What drives them is the rush of the shouts of the crowd, the excitement of their name in lights, and the notoriety of their achievements. Their are people who live for sex, who live for food, you name it and there's bound to be someone who lives for it.
But here's a question.....
What happens when the motorcycles break down? What happens when the music stops and people are no longer cheering for you? What happens if something traumatic happens to your body and sex is no longer an option? What happens when you become too overweight to even enjoy food because is you attempt, you will die? You know what happens?
Your life ends.
If you live for money, eventually the money will run out. If you live for conquests of businesses, buildings, stocks and bonds, eventually there will be nothing more to conquer.
So what's my point? I'm glad you asked.
Look. Everything else we have in life to pour our energies into will require US to make happen. They are not self-sufficient and cannot stand on their own. They are powerless in life unless we do something with them. They need US to exist. But that's NOT what God has made available to us.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Moses said to the Children of Israel by the word of the Lord that God had placed before them LIFE and DEATH, BLESSING and CURSING. THEY had to make the choice of which they would take. There were consequences to both, but the choice was theirs. That same option stands before us today, everyday of our lives. If we CHOOSE to walk contrary to the word and the plans of God, we will experience the fruit of it. If we CHOOSE to walk in the ways the Lord has planned for us, we will experience the fruit of it. The question is: "WHICH FRUIT DO YOU WANT?" I mean, it's one thing to say YES to God, but it's a whole different thing to follow up our "yes" with obedience to His word and submission to His ways and plans.
It seems to be the "in" thing nowadays to "claim" to be a Christian without submitting to the plans of God in regards to that declaration. Therein lies our life. Walking WITH God is life. Walking WITHOUT God is death.
Listen. God says He came to give us life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). But remember that the life He offers has come at a high price and requires a high price from us as well. He said to "take up your cross and follow Me." All of us have a personal cross that we must carry in order to follow Him. For some, it's CHOOSING to lay down the desire for riding motorcycles IF it comes between them and God. For some, it's laying down eating food in excess IF it comes between them and God. For some, it's laying down the fame IF it comes between them and God. Do you see a pattern here? God has given us all good things to enjoy in this life and in the life to come. But the moment the "things" of this life become more important than living for and in obedience to Him, we have a major problem. He is to be FIRST and everything else second.
So what's YOUR cross? What do you hold dear to your heart that has become more dear to you than God? Are you willing to lay it down until things in your life are in the correct alignment? Would you be willing to lay it down forever if it is required? You have to choose.
I encourage US all to CHOOSE life.
Peace.