How we define our lives
If we are honest with ourselves, we walk around with shoulders straight and heads lifted when we think we have a certain degree of material acquisition – we have money in the bank, a nice house and car (or two or three), children in expensive schools, nice clothes and accessories (and lots of them), etc. In the absence of these, we walk around with shoulders slumped and feel less than those who have these things.
My dear brethren, how can we define out lives by these temporal things? How can the value of your person be tied into the value of your material possessions or academic qualifications? Our heavenly Father thought we were of immense value when He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the shameful cross for us. He placed that much value on us and bought us at a great cost – the blood of His Son. We are of great value in the sight of God with or without material possessions.
A question we all need to ask ourselves every now and then is: “Do I own my possessions or do my possessions own me?” We live in a material (physical) world and need material things to survive but when life becomes about acquiring these material things…..when that becomes our primary preoccupation, I’m afraid our possessions own us. When we hold on so tight to anything that it is difficult or impossible to let go of it (even when God tells us to do so), those things own us.
I remind us of Jesus’ words in Luke 12:15:
“Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Regardless of what we do or don’t possess, God loves us immeasurably. In a few decades (max) or possibly tomorrow (who knows?), we’ll leave this material world and transit to real life which is eternal where the true value is Christ in us, the hope of glory. The account we will give of how we spent the time given us on this side will not include how much we possessed in material goods. Do we imagine that the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23) will be referring to our faithfulness in acquiring earthly wealth?
“Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches; But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Child of God, here is why you should walk around with confidence and why you owe God worship: you are of great value because you belong to God, your sins washed away by the precious blood of Christ; you have a relationship with the Creator of the universe – He’s your Father; you’re an ambassador for His kingdom here on Earth; God lives in you by His Spirit – what an awesome privilege.