February 28, 2016

Realign Your Priorities

Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” -- Haggai 1:5-6

What do you want? What are you coveting right now? Oh, come on! You know you do. Everybody wants something they don’t currently have.

Why is that? Why are we never happy with what we have? Why is it never enough? Why are we never enough?

Oh, there you go. Why are we never enough? That’s the question we need to answer. Why are we trying to make ourselves happy, satisfied, appear more affluent? Why are we trying to fill ourselves up with things? All it does is put us deeper into debt and cause us to move on to something else that we “need.”

And it doesn’t have to be a thing. It could be a someone. Have you ever met a person who just knew they would be happy if they were married, had a child, were divorced, had a grandchild? The list could go on and on. They have tied their happiness to someone else.

We do the same thing when we are young. We’ll be so happy when we are a teenager. Life will be great when we get our driver’s license and a car. We can’t wait until college and then we can’t wait until we’ve graduated and have a “real” job. And on and on it goes. One day we’ll be satisfied but we really never will be.

We are seeking our satisfaction, our happiness, our status, in others and in things. Not God. Except that God is the only One who can ever satisfy us. He is the only One who can ever make us happy. And status with Him, well, that is eternal life.

God warned the Israelites. They were so focused on themselves that they neglected God’s temple, which lay in ruins. It’s like us focusing on ourselves rather than putting God first. Who are His workers? We don’t tithe because we can’t afford to give to God when we’re trying to keep and add to all our stuff. We don’t have time to volunteer and help others because we’re too busy working and lounging in front of those big televisions. Besides, we sure wouldn’t want to get our hands dirty. That wouldn’t look good. Maybe we could just write a check after all?

We will never fill ourselves up with things because we will never have enough. We will never truly be happy if we are depending on the actions, or inactions, of others to do it for us.

Focus on God. Put Him first. That’s right. Realign your priorities. You might have a few less things but you’ll have a full heart and more than enough to satisfy all you needs. And as a bonus: You won’t even care about all that stuff anymore.

January 26, 2016

Loosen Your Hold On Worldly Things

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -- Matthew 6:19-21

 

I’ve got too much stuff. Most of us do. We accumulate things and then lose track of what we have. It’s not like we need it or, in some cases, even want it.

I’ve been going through stuff and throwing out or donating items I no longer need or want. I’ve discovered items I forgot I had. I’m finding things and wondering why in the world I ever saved that particular clipping or scrap of wood or fabric.

Isn’t that what we do? We keep everything. We keep the clothes we haven’t worn in years because one day we might fit in them again or they might be fashionable again. We keep knick knacks for no reason. We hang on to outdated phones and electronic gadgets. It’s just what we do.

Others who are less fortunate could wear those clothes. Someone else could use some of our stuff. But we are stingy. We are selfish. We are determined to keep close what belongs to us forgetting that really it all belongs to God.

What’s worse I think is that we waste money buying unnecessary items that we just have to have right now. Sometimes we go into debt so we won’t have to wait. Then we don’t care about the items two days later. It was the wanting that hooked us. The need to fill an empty space inside. A space that only God can fill.

We focus on things rather than what’s really important. Somehow all those things -- especially those with certain labels -- makes us better people. They don’t. We’re still sinners who fall short of the glory of God.

Loosen your hold on the things of this world. Seek first His kingdom. God will take care of all your needs and bless you beyond anything you can imagine.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Let Go Of All That Stuff

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” -- Luke 12:15

What are you taking with you? When you die and head toward those Pearly Gates, what are you planning to have in your luggage? What is it that you simply can’t do without? What do you have that you can’t leave behind?

Oh, yeah. That’s right. There’s no baggage claim in heaven. Oh, and no carry-on bags are allowed either. So where does that leave all that stuff you value so highly? Not with you and, honestly, when you get to heaven do you think you will even care?

We spend so much of our lives worrying about our stuff. We never have enough of it. We don’t like to share. Sometime we value our stuff more than the people in our lives. And for what? Because we sure aren’t taking it with us when we go.

Now don’t get me wrong. I like my stuff. And I don’t like it when people abuse it or when others don’t value the family history associated with items passed down through the generations. But I also know that anything I have is a gift from God that will one day go to someone else. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

So since we can’t take it with us, maybe we need to reorder our priorities a little bit. Pastor Danny recently suggested three ways that we an do this. First, we can learn to live below our means. That way we’ll be free to appreciate what we have and to give more away to those who don’t have enough.

Ouch. I just stepped on a few toes, didn’t I? We don’t want to give away what we’ve worked hard to achieve. Other people should work hard, too, and buy their own stuff. Except that’s not what God tells us to do, is it? We’re to share from our abundance and, honestly, most of us have way too much abundance.

Secondly, we should work on developing a grateful heart. It’s difficult to focus on what you don’t have when you’re thanking God for all that you do have. Are you lusting after the latest smart phone? Well, thank God that you even have a smart phone. Many people don’t. Thank God for your health because many struggle with debilitating illness. Thank God for your family because many people are alone. And on and on. Pretty soon you’ll realize that you really have way more than you thought you had.

And lastly figure out where your soul finds satisfaction because your soul is the one thing you will be taking with you on your journey to heaven. What is your life’s call? Create your life, spend your moments, following God’s purpose for your life and not your own pursuit of stuff.

Fill your heart with compassion. Litter your path with kindness. Open your eyes to the hands in need. Fill your soul with Jesus.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Things Will Never Fill Us Up

Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

-- Matthew 4:8-10

What are you craving right now? Are you lusting after a giant piece of chocolate cake? Do you want a new car? Or maybe those designer boots you saw online? Maybe more than anything else you’d like two tickets to a major college football game?

Whatever it is that you want, you’re just following that American dream. It’s what we’re programmed for at birth. To want bigger and better. To have more than we’ve ever dreamed of having and certainly more than we could possibly ever use. It’s no wonder that the storage building business is booming.

Pastor Danny recently told us about the worship chip each of us have inside our bodies. God created us with something akin to a homing devise so that we’ll always be seeking Him. The thing is, only God can fill us up inside. But that doesn’t stop us from trying every other way we can to make it happen.

That desperate attempt to satisfy the worship chip leads to two awful conditions: Affluenza and Credititus. Those two conditions frequently go together. Either is enough to send us into a downward financial spiral from which we might not recover.

It all goes back to that American dream and what society tells us we have to have to be happy. It’s isn’t enough to have a nice house in a safe neighborhood. We’ve got to want a better house in an affluent neighborhood. We’ve got to have a new car even when the old one runs just fine. We’ve got to go on a fabulous vacation when a trip to the beach a short drive away would be just as enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the only way to afford all that stuff that society tells us we have to have leads to using credit cards again and again. We don’t think too much about it. Pulling out a piece of plastic just doesn’t have the same impact as paying with cash. It lets us forget, at least for a little while, that we’re digging a hole for ourselves and for our future.

Satan tempted Jesus, promising Him everything the world offered. And Jesus said no. Jesus understood that no amount of things could ever replace God when it comes to filling us up inside.

It is possible to just say no. It is possible to walk away. To be content with what you have. To give a little more to those in need. To spend more time with Jesus and less with the world and its ridiculous demands. To fill yourself up with God’s love and know that you are complete right where you are.