"Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:13-19)
I was reading my kids the story about the tower of babel from Genesis chapter 11. It's from the Jesus Storybook Bible, my favorite bedtime storybook! The story starts with this 'idea' to build a great city and build the tallest tower in the middle of it so the people could make a name for themselves. Seems harmless enough....right?
That's all it takes for us...one tiny little thought of ourselves and we become caught up in the impossible task of making ourselves better than someone else. Why do we strive so hard and for so long in the endless task of looking good to others? Everywhere you look there is an up and coming super star or some computer genius who makes millions on the tiniest microchip. We are a fast paced--in your face--kind of society. We always have to be doing something to be better or smarter than the next person.
My son is a very bright young man. I may be biased but he really is! He recently competed in the math Olympics at his school. He was so excited and pretty sure of himself. But alas he didn't make the top five in his category. I was a row behind him and I watched his shoulders shrug up and down as he cried when they didn't call his name to the stage for an award. I hated seeing him sad!
So here is the problem....we all want to be the best. To quote a line from the movie The Incredible's "When everyone's super....(maniacal laugh)....no one will be!"
God has a better way. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Matt10:45)
In His plan we all submit to His authority and to each other. His plan is; humility, love, forgiveness, mercy and grace, understanding, generosity, compassion and thanksgiving. What do we see in our culture today? We see everyone out for themselves, stepping over whoever they can to get to the top. Even the do-gooders have an agenda.
"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men." (Colossians 3:23)
Appearances can be very deceiving! Our eyes love to lust after things...but those things end up costing us way more than they are actually worth!
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)
What good would it do if a man gains the whole world only to lose his soul? (Matt 16:26 emphasis mine)
In Ecclesiastes chapter 3 it says there is a time for everything. Verse 4 says, "a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance." God gave us these seasons for a reason but we medicate our sadness away. We have an inner man, but we stuff him aside to march forward and claim our victory...all the while on the inside we suffer.
If we would only set our thoughts on God and trust Him and seek His will for our lives we would understand the "width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God." God is all we need! He is our all in all! He is the bread of life...the living water! He is our hope and our joy and our strength....He is our reason for being!
If we keep ignoring our spirit there will be consequences. If you don't use it you'll lose it! Give up the fight and surrender to God's ways. It will cost you don't get me wrong...you'll have to give up on yourself and follow after Jesus. It's a sacrificial life but in the end you'll be eternally grateful you surrendered.
God forgive us for thinking we, who are but dust, could ever figure this life out on our own. God give us humble hearts to seek Your glory for You are the only One worthy of all glory and honor and praise. Lord lead us to the rock that is higher than we are! Give us Your spirit and reveal to us Your great love! Cause us to sing of Your greatness and Your loving kindness all the day. Give us grateful hearts Lord, for all you've done and have yet to do! In Jesus name amen!
