We all have an end.
Death.
Much of our time is spent trying to live. A nicer home. A little more reliable car. Decent clothes for our family. Recreational toys.
Everything in this world is not evil - if kept in perspective. It's okay to have a nice home, a decent car, and presentable clothing...as long as that's not the point.
When we talk about 'surrendering all', I'm convinced that most don't even know what that means: myself at the top of the list. Think about it. When was the last time you remember 'surrendering' what you eat to God? "Bro, what are you talking about?" Allow me to explain:
I didn't eat breakfast and in order to do what I needed to get done, I just worked straight through lunch. Before I even realize it, six 'o clock comes. I'm starving. I have reason to be starving - I haven't eaten since this time last night. So, naturally, the first priority on my list when I get in the house (except maybe taking a shower) is to find something to eat. It would be hard to set a plate of food down in front of myself and just look at it, but you should try this sometime: the next time you feel as though your stomach is eating itself, just stop before you cram that cheeseburger into your mouth, and think to yourself, "I'm dying. This food will not keep me alive forever. I'm completely dependent on something so much more."
I used to tell people, "You don't have to be a crazy person and only think about spiritual things all the time...just live a normal life while loving God and others." I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm starting to understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 26 when he said, "...the flesh is weak."
Everything is a distraction. Though something may seem good to us, it's a distraction - part of our separation from God. Even the things that are meant to be spiritual a lot of times...take church, for example. We can get so focused on going to church, what we have to do at church, what we're going to wear to church, that we are distracted from WHY we're going to church by the things we do in getting there. Is church a bad thing? Most definitely not!
My hunger is weakness in my flesh. A weakness that distracts me from "seeking those things that are above." When I'm hungry, I focus my attention on feeding my body. I lose focus of Christ...though it may be just a moment. Yes, food sustains my body so that I can work for God, but it's a weakness, and until we realize how weak we are, we'll never be able to surrender all.
So, I've been contemplating suicide.
Death.
Much of our time is spent trying to live. A nicer home. A little more reliable car. Decent clothes for our family. Recreational toys.
Everything in this world is not evil - if kept in perspective. It's okay to have a nice home, a decent car, and presentable clothing...as long as that's not the point.
When we talk about 'surrendering all', I'm convinced that most don't even know what that means: myself at the top of the list. Think about it. When was the last time you remember 'surrendering' what you eat to God? "Bro, what are you talking about?" Allow me to explain:
I didn't eat breakfast and in order to do what I needed to get done, I just worked straight through lunch. Before I even realize it, six 'o clock comes. I'm starving. I have reason to be starving - I haven't eaten since this time last night. So, naturally, the first priority on my list when I get in the house (except maybe taking a shower) is to find something to eat. It would be hard to set a plate of food down in front of myself and just look at it, but you should try this sometime: the next time you feel as though your stomach is eating itself, just stop before you cram that cheeseburger into your mouth, and think to yourself, "I'm dying. This food will not keep me alive forever. I'm completely dependent on something so much more."
I used to tell people, "You don't have to be a crazy person and only think about spiritual things all the time...just live a normal life while loving God and others." I couldn't have been more wrong. I'm starting to understand what Jesus meant in Matthew 26 when he said, "...the flesh is weak."
Everything is a distraction. Though something may seem good to us, it's a distraction - part of our separation from God. Even the things that are meant to be spiritual a lot of times...take church, for example. We can get so focused on going to church, what we have to do at church, what we're going to wear to church, that we are distracted from WHY we're going to church by the things we do in getting there. Is church a bad thing? Most definitely not!
My hunger is weakness in my flesh. A weakness that distracts me from "seeking those things that are above." When I'm hungry, I focus my attention on feeding my body. I lose focus of Christ...though it may be just a moment. Yes, food sustains my body so that I can work for God, but it's a weakness, and until we realize how weak we are, we'll never be able to surrender all.
So, I've been contemplating suicide.
I'm ready to kill everything in me.
What would it look like if I did only think about spiritual things (read Colossians 3)? What if everything set my mind into motion about things above - from my hunger to the greatest joy to the deepest sorrow? Not just theoretically or hypothetically, but really living as though I'm already dead.
Because we all have an end...
Because we all have an end...
