What's your dream? Your biggest life goal? Do you want to be successful? Do you want to be in the best possible physical shape? Do you want the highest position in your company-stopping at nothing along the ladder to the top? Would you love to be an Olympian? What motivates you, or possibly keeps you at up night? Do you have big plans and big aspirations for something specific in your future? Are you dedicated to making it happen each day of your life? Dreams are good. Aspirations are good. Goals are good. We should all have something we aspire for-we shouldn't stay stuck and become stagnant. But we need to be careful.
Nearly half of all Americans classify themselves as workaholics. A workaholic is defined as someone who compulsively works long and hard hours. This person will work in place of needed sleep. They turn down social invitations in order to work beyond normal work hours. Some workaholics work because they enjoy their work, and others work because they feel compelled to work. Whatever the case may be, work is their priority.
Athletes training for the Olympics will train on average, around 30 hours per week. This is only the physical part of their training-you must also take into account the focus put on calories and nutrition, as well as rest and recovery. The goal is a gold medal, and few will make it to the top. While my son didn't pursue Olympic aspirations, he did spend a large amount of time in high school swimming, training, swimming some more, and eating to optimize performance. Sports on any level require commitment in order to do well, and eat up large amounts of time. Being an Olympian isn't a bad life goal, but as with any other goal, it shouldn't be at the top of the list for a Christian.
All of us wrestle with goals and dreams that vie for first place in our hearts. We may want to be rich and afford the things we wish for. We may want that big house on the lake and a nice boat to cruise around in. We may want the latest Tesla, with all the bells and whistles. We may want fame and wish our name was known across the world. We may aim for being President of the United States. We may spend hours and hours in the gym to have the perfect body. Whatever our dreams are, they should be secondary at best, to our love and devotion for Jesus Christ. And sadly, it's not the case if we were to be completely honest.
Trading Jesus doesn't mean we would totally give Him up for something we are going after-it's as simple as allowing them to have more of our hearts than we give Him. It's an attitude of "I want ____, and I'm going after it with all of my being." We often spend most of our life chasing our dreams, and give the leftovers to God. In short, we are trading Him for the worldly desires of our hearts, disillusioned by the glitter of temporary satisfaction, in place of eternal reward. We are selling ourselves short for the present world we live in, in exchange for doing great things for our future in heaven.
Whatever it is you're shooting for, put it in its proper perspective. Giving Jesus anything less than our first priority is essentially trading Him off for something of far less value. He deserves our primary place of service and devotion. He says in Matthew chapter 10 that if we love anyone more than we love Him, we aren't worthy of being His. The principle here is He has the place of preeminence in our lives. If we put the same energy we put into our life goals as we do in serving Him, what difference could we make for eternity? I'll be the first to admit that I'm often crowding out His place of priority and replacing it with things that will only satisfy in this temporary world. I can do better-how about you?
But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33, ESV).
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Luke 12:34, ESV).
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24, ESV).
Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth (Colossians 3:2, ESV).
Dear heavenly Father, may we repent of anything we place ahead of our love and service to You. May we realize the sacrifice made for us to be called Your children, and may we store up treasures in heaven-not exchanging them for temporary applause and gratification. In Your name we pray, Amen!
Today, my heart is heavy when I think of the world we live in. Depravity of every kind fills the hustle of modern day cities, as well as the quiet gentle slopes of the countryside. You can't turn on the news without hearing awful things. Nor could you scroll through social media without squirming with discomfort. School cafeterias buzz with plans-plans that involve sin. Hospital corridors are teeming with patients suffering the results of sin. Co-workers whisper of things that should never be said. Church walls witness sinners in desperate need of a Savior. And my own heart is a place that is in a constant battle against that 3-letter word-sin!
Without sin, we would live in a perfect world. This is a world only experienced by two humans-Adam and Eve. A world unstained before the fall of mankind. A world fully connected with God. This world was pain-free. It was open and trusting and completely harmonious. No wars. No racism. No worry. No sickness. No sadness. No divorce. No sexual sin. No selfishness. No natural disasters. No hunger. No death! Nothing at all that could hurt us. It's a world that I honestly can't imagine, because I've never lived there. But I know that someday, I will.
I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to heaven. But even though I am, I'm unable to grasp what it will be like to no longer be tempted. I can't begin to understand never feeling worry, pain, or sadness. I don't know a world that isn't self-absorbed. I worry about illness, or the loss of a loved one. I am in a constant war against aging and body image. I feel a craving for more-a craving that can't ever be fully satisfied because my list of wants continually grows. This is all we know, because we live after the fall of Adam and Eve. But I long for better.
If I assigned a mental picture to entering heaven's gate, there would be a huge pile of burdens, too high to measure, laying just outside of it. I would walk through with such relief after such a weary journey through life. Oh, how I long to see the face of Jesus-for sure, but I also long to feel the absence of sin and how deeply it affects every aspect of my life. I long to finally be at complete peace with no worries or cares weighing heavily on my mind and my heart. I long to be holy. And while many days here make me smile with joy, the burden is always there, always lingering, and always beckoning me to succumb to the desires of my flesh.
You've been hurt by sin. We all have. None have been exempt from its wages. But if you belong to Christ, it's all just temporary. And while we can claim victory over temptation through His Spirit each day, it's a constant war. Some wars we will win, and some we will falter and fail. As our hearts are heavy with the devastating current events-we long for better days, yet we cannot experience complete peace and unity in a sin broken world. What our souls long for is heaven-a place where sin will be forever put away. And while I can change my own actions, the world will continue to disappoint me. Until I'm home in heaven, sin will be an issue for me. I'll wrestle with it until the day I die. But one day-one day soon, it'll lose its hold on me. I long for the release of its deadly grip, and I daydream of how wonderful it will to finally be free.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 (ESV).
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned- Romans 5:12 (ESV).
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins Ecclesiastes 7:20 (ESV).
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me Psalm 51:10 (ESV).
Dear Heavenly Father, we long for the day sin will be forever removed from us. It hurts others, and it hurts me. Our sin had such a cost to Your Son, Jesus, and through that cost, He made a way for us to be free! We look forward to the day we will no longer struggle with it, and are at perfect rest in Your presence. In Your name we pray, Amen!
