So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
- 1 Corinthians 5:6-8
When I stop and think about it, I spend a good deal of time throughout my day in a state of distraction from one undeniable fact: one day my life is going to end. I realize I do this for several reasons.
First, I have a natural tendency to want to pretend that heaven is possible here on earth. So, I store up physical treasures like HD televisions and iPads and sweet BBQs, as well as non-physical treasures like Lake Tahoe snowboarding adventures and Pacific Ocean fishing trip memories.
Second, I have a natural proclivity to lay up anchor here, to think this place is my home. So, I cling to things I do not want to ever let go of—like my youth and my health and my dog. These are things of great value, but just like my life in this place, they are not permanent, or at least they will not exist in their present state for me beyond my stay on earth.
Third, sometimes I have doubts. I think to myself, What if all this God business is just a made up story and there is nothing waiting for me on the other side? What if when you die, that’s it, your body melts into the dirt and your mind just shuts off like a dead 9-volt and you are forgotten?
But when I read scripture like the passage above it defies my natural tendencies and doubts. I am reminded that this life is not my home, that though HDTVs and snowboarding trips and dogs (in no particular order) are great, they pale in comparison to what lies ahead. Or at least, I know by faith that though I cannot see what is ahead, I can trust in God’s character; I know because of all he has done for me in the past that he will not sell me short in eternity.
I will have a new life and a new body and a new home waiting for me that is so superior to what I have now that I cannot even fathom it. It will be like moving from a cheap one-bedroom studio in downtown Compton, Los Angeles, to my own castle in the Swiss Alps.
This is why we read Scripture—to be reminded of the things that we so naturally forget. So, do you have a passage to post below that will remind us of other things we may be forgetting?
October 24, 2011 · Other · 15 Comments
I thought it would be cool to share some thoughts on my readings on a more consistent basis here.
Keep deception and [a]lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, That I not be full and deny You and say, “Who is the LORD?” Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:8-9 NASB
We cannot be consumed with the future because the future is not guaranteed. And even if it is, our time on earth is so, so short. We are to ask for our DAILY bread, and to focus on the now, because the future is in God’s hands. This is comforting to me because, lately, I spend so much time thinking about the variables which lie ahead – How will I be provided for ten years from now? What will I do? Where will I live?
All we can do is make a list of the ways we are blessed and provided for today. All I can do is reflect on the divine provisions I have been given right now, and it will force me to acknowledge that Jesus is real, he is here, and he cares for me.
The reason why he says give us this day our DAILY bread is because if we have enough—not too little or much, as Solomon put it in Ecclesiastes—we will neither become complacent, nor will we starve. Our only recourse is to be thankful for what we have today and rely on God for what will come in the next 24 hours. In the meantime, we commit fully to our work and seek Him with all our might.
This is a life of success, achievement, and most of all, peace.
I would love to hear your feedback below. Check back regularly for more…
October 23, 2011 · Bible Study, Other, Spiritual Living · 16 Comments
