Last night I had one of those spiritual revelations where you touch upon the meaning of life.
Lately I have been so focused on school work, GPAs, class rankings, ACTs, finding scholarships so I can afford college next year, music, what people think of me as a person, among many other things that I had almost totally forgotten what really matters. Well, actually, I hadn't forgotten. He was there by my side all along, but I just chose to make other things my priority.
"..for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord." -1st Thessalonians 3:8
It's funny and sort of sad, now that I think about it. I am just like the Israelites in the book of Judges. Every single time they would turn their backs on God for the same reasons, and God would always send a just form of punishment their way. The Israelites would relent and fall on their faces before God again, and He would forgive them and let them prosper again. But, being human, they would turn their backs on God because they thought that their way was more promising. How many times can I attest to this happening in my life? Yeah....a lot.
The writer of Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about the meaning of life. He found that money, wisdom, pleasure, labor, even life cannot suffice for fearing God and keeping His commandments.
I will always be a sinful being while I am in life on this earth. Yes, "the old things have passed away", but I am still bearing this sinful body while I am here on earth.
The thing that makes me hopeful is this: I have freedom and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. He died on the cross and bore my sin upon Himself as a perfect living sacrifice so that I can have a growing relationship with God and a life with Him in eternity. How awesome is that?!
Does this mean that I should sin as much as I want? No way! Though works aren't what brought me salvation (deliverance from an eternity seperated from God), they go hand in hand with faith.
"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." - James 2:17
Anyways...I probably explained too little about some things and probably explained some things without their proper justice, but I hope you followed me. Like I said before, I see in pictures. The picture I see in my head right now is me dancing with Jesus in heaven someday, and I'm thinking that's how it should be.
"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2
(the picture is of a willow tree figurine. i adore them very much and think it shows what my mind is picturing very well)
Lately I have been so focused on school work, GPAs, class rankings, ACTs, finding scholarships so I can afford college next year, music, what people think of me as a person, among many other things that I had almost totally forgotten what really matters. Well, actually, I hadn't forgotten. He was there by my side all along, but I just chose to make other things my priority.
"..for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord." -1st Thessalonians 3:8
It's funny and sort of sad, now that I think about it. I am just like the Israelites in the book of Judges. Every single time they would turn their backs on God for the same reasons, and God would always send a just form of punishment their way. The Israelites would relent and fall on their faces before God again, and He would forgive them and let them prosper again. But, being human, they would turn their backs on God because they thought that their way was more promising. How many times can I attest to this happening in my life? Yeah....a lot.
The writer of Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about the meaning of life. He found that money, wisdom, pleasure, labor, even life cannot suffice for fearing God and keeping His commandments.
I will always be a sinful being while I am in life on this earth. Yes, "the old things have passed away", but I am still bearing this sinful body while I am here on earth.
The thing that makes me hopeful is this: I have freedom and forgiveness in Jesus Christ. He died on the cross and bore my sin upon Himself as a perfect living sacrifice so that I can have a growing relationship with God and a life with Him in eternity. How awesome is that?!
Does this mean that I should sin as much as I want? No way! Though works aren't what brought me salvation (deliverance from an eternity seperated from God), they go hand in hand with faith.
"Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." - James 2:17
Anyways...I probably explained too little about some things and probably explained some things without their proper justice, but I hope you followed me. Like I said before, I see in pictures. The picture I see in my head right now is me dancing with Jesus in heaven someday, and I'm thinking that's how it should be.
"Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things." Colossians 3:2
(the picture is of a willow tree figurine. i adore them very much and think it shows what my mind is picturing very well)
Oh how many times do we want to hit ourselves in the forehead for getting caught up in the world? It's just too immedieate, too in front of us. God is always with us, right beside us, we just forget sometimes. I can't count the number of times I've forgotten! We are all different in our relationship with God and where we are in our walk. The great thing is, we realize our number one priority, and He accepts us (He already forgave us!), just as we are. :) I'm so grateful for His truly amazing grace!
ReplyDelete