During this visit with my California relatives, one of them remarked that there are not too many of us that are rich. He was thinking money. My devotions this morning took me to 2 Corinthians 6 where Paul describes several paradoxes in the Christian life. He ends with verse 10 that says we are “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”
I remember early in life wanting a big house with lots of rooms. Since then, I’ve moved twenty-eight times, most of them into little houses, and some of those were old and not at all the house of my dreams. Also during that time, I became a Christian and God began teaching me about eternal values. After a few years under His loving tutelage I forgot that childhood dream. It didn’t matter anymore because I knew the truth of “this old earth is not my home; I’m just passing through.”
I still get tested on it (as I was just before this trip), yet find that the symbols and trappings of this life are not very important when compared to the wonder of what God has promised me in eternity, even the wonder of what He has done for me in this life. He has put my ‘stuff’ in perspective.
However, ‘stuff’ is not the only vain pursuit that could capture my attention and keep me from fully embracing the idea that God is enough. As my devotional reading says, I could be after certain experiences, or ecstatic feelings, or try to make myself rich in theological views and dogmas, or store up a long list of good works or great accomplishments. I could also seek amazing knowledge or a greater endowment of the gifts and grace of God, as if having more ‘blessings’ would make me more wealthy, or at least closer to the top of some sort of imaginary ladder.
Yet this is not what Jesus is like. He emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant. He was rich but became poor for my sake. He wants to have that same mind, a mind that is not focused on having my own whatever because when I do that, I will not depend on Him for everything. He is teaching me the reality that apart from Him I have nothing, or at least what I do have is nothing, but in Him I have all things.
3 comments:
I hope your trip is going well as you visit with family members. Thanks for your comments on the Inscribe blog.
I'd love to talk with you about the quilting aspect of next year's conference. I'm not a great or avid quilter by any means.
May you be fully aware of the Lord's presence with you today.
Lorrie
I so wished we had a bigger house when we first moved to BC. I remember going for walks and thinking how this one or that one looked appealing and wishing there was a 'For Sale' sign on the lawn and that I could convince hubby to move.
Then in 1995 my husband lost his job. Whew, was I ever glad we hadn't saddled ourselves with a big house and even bigger mortgage. I can honestly say, since then, I'm completely content with small. It surely is a matter of perspective.
Kinda funny, but I never wanted a huge house... just a place to make a home. So we have a one-bedroom apartment, and will for a while, though lots of people have asked us why we didn't buy a house when we got married. (Uh, other than the housing market right now?) Paul's words are a good reminder of what's important. (I was just reading that passage the other day myself, so thanks for your thoughts on it!)
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