Everything--everything, Lord You are, everything to me
Everything--everything, Lord You are,
everything to me
My Treasure, My priority
Who can compare to You?
Great is the measure of Your royalty
Oh, Morning Star--You truly are, my everything!
This was a worship song that we sang together at the women's retreat we had for our church this weekend. My parents and Chris took care of the kids and blessed me with a time away with other women from church. When this song started on Saturday morning, I couldn't get myself to sing the words. I buried my face in my hands and confessed to the Lord that this song was untrue for me and that He is not my "Everything."
Everyone worships something or someone. For most of us, our favorite focus to worship is ourselves. We spend our time and energy on making sure we are comfortable, fed, attractive, happy, healthy, etc...for that we even sacrifice. We work hard at jobs to earn enough to be able to provide all the comforts and pleasures we hope to attain, exercise, spend time and money at the doctor, invest in a variety of things that are for nothing more than for our entertainment or enjoyment, and cook meals that delight our palates and ensure that we are not hungry or left wanting.
Sure, one may argue, "No, I do this all for my kids...my spouse...my family...my friends...the betterment of the human race...to help save the earth or the animals...whatever..." Honestly, even investing in those things feeds into a desire to please ourselves and make us happy. Those things become little idols to us and we become our own little gods. You cannot help but see it all around if you are really willing to look. We make our own rules to be "tolerant" or "politically correct." People constantly only want hear what they want, having "their ears tickled" in order to feed their own happiness. When someone walking down the street says, "Well, it's true because it's true for me," what are they REALLY saying? They are attesting to the fact that people are big enough "gods" that they have the power over what is reality and truth. Truth is subject to what each human "deity" thinks works best for them.
Well, I am here to humbly admit that I AM NOT GOD! There is only one God, one Truth and one Way. Jesus Himself said, "I AM the Way the Truth and the Life." I am also here to admit that the God who made the heavens and the earth and man from the dust of the earth is worth so much more than I have been giving Him. I spend more time feeding myself physical food than spiritual food. I spend more time exercising my body than I do exercising my mind with the Truth found in God's word. I spend more time talking to friends or turning to others for counsel than I do seeking counsel from the One who holds the stars in the sky and knows the very hairs on my head. I also waste so much time on "foolish" things on TV (and, let's be frank) that, more often than not, are downright contrary to what God wants rather than investing time setting my mind on things that are "true... honorable...right...pure...lovely...of good repute...excellence and...worthy of praise" (as we are told in Phillippains 4:8).
Why is it that I am like this? I love myself too much. I forget who I am in light of who God really is. I need to remember that I am but dust and He alone is God. I am here to worship, bow down and say that He is God in all the ways I spend my time, money, thoughts, actions and speech. I am here to be a vessel for the One who loves me and forgives all my sins when I ask Him--as far as the east is form the west--whiter than snow. I am called to be less as He becomes more through me. I am honored that the very One I sin against is the very One who came to die on my behalf on the cross to offer me abundant life (both here and for eternity).
Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."
John 10:7-10
Don't be confused about the "abundant life" in Jesus. He does not promise the healthy, wealth, fame, and monetary prosperity. On the contrary, He promises trials and disciplines to us if He is our Father. Here are some other things He tells us in scripture:
| John 8:31-32
Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
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| James 1:5
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
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| John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
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| Philippians 4:19
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. |
| Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. |
| Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. |
These are just tidbits to get you motivated, as I am, to put God back on the throne in all that we say and do. The prayer of my heart is that I love Him more each day, trust Him more, act like Him more, praise Him more, serve Him more, love others more as He calls me to, and give Him all the glory (because there is NO WAY I can do this on my strength..it's only by His grace and in His strength that any of these things will be true of me). I want to live my life for things that will matter for eternity; investing in anything else is a life sadly...wasted.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
John 15:15-17
One thing the speaker at the retreat said that really stuck with me:
Just because we are breathing doesn't mean we are living.
Who or what are you living for? What is your true "Everything?"
The One who made everything, is in control of everything, gives us everything...surely He is worth my everything. Keep praying that I remember that daily and REALLY live it. I invite you to sharpen me and lovingly confront me in areas of my life that don't look like Jesus. I want more than anything to bring Him glory.
2 comments:
Don't be too hard on yourself. As "Moses" introducing each week's lesson to the Pre-Schoolers and Elementary School kids at Sunday School, I recently introduced the kids to The 10 Commandments and that God is worth of honor and that we need to honor Him. The main way we can honor God is by following His commandments, many of which tell us how to honor, treat, and respect others, and in so doing, we do honor Him. So, by being the best Christian, wife, mother, and child you can be (and you do a really great job at each), you ARE HONORING GOD. By using the gifts He gave you, you do His work, which again honors Him. We all fail to meet perfection because we are human, which He is aware of and because of that, He gave us the gift of eternal life and salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of His son, Jesus. Believe me, you do honor God and the fact that you feel you fall short only proves it. Just keep on doing what you hear Him telling you to do, realize that you may fall short, but that His grace and forgiveness will allow you to pick yourself up and go forward again, and again, and again.
Thanks for the encouragement. I was telling my friend today that I may not look different with the "changes" I am making. The biggest thing is where my heart and motivation is. It will be from the inside-out (with the help and power of the Holy Spirit).
I thank Him--for sure--for grace!
He picks me up.
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