Day 56: Priorities: Is our J O Y In The Right Place?
Read: Matthew 6:19 - 21
Last night when I was doing some basic shopping for the house, I looked
around the grocery store and took the time to notice that there seemed
to be allot more people than I would have otherwise expected for that
time of the night. It likewise dawned on me that the parking lot was
pretty full too. Then the obvious dawned on me: It is one day closer to
that day of all days called "Thanksgiving". The shopping carts were loaded to the brim, the shoppers seemed to be trying to push Mount Everest forward and through the aisles looking for all the food stuffs they were going to need to spend hours and hours in their kitchens preparing grand meals for their families and friends.
The year is almost over. It has moved quite quickly it seems. Day after
day has gone by. Children have been in school learning what it is they
will need to build character. Birthdays, anniversaries, vacations,
people working hard on their jobs if they have them or working hard to
try and find one that will pay the bills, keep a roof over their head,
keeping or putting food on the table to feed their families, Wars being
fought or threatening to start in far away lands. So, I'm contemplating
the meaning of all that earthly stuff when Jesus breaks in: "Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy,
and where thieves break in and steal." Boing!! The Light broke into my darkness.
Undoubtedly it
has been said somewhere and oftentimes repeated that our priorities as a
Christian should be J O Y (Jesus, Others, You). Yet, I find myself
wondering, in the reality that is pressing against us from all sides and
all points of the compass, just how do we see our priorities. Where
do we see the JOY principal in our lives, in our finances, in our
daytime or our night time, and in the everyday decisions that we all
make. Do we worry too much about and serve the Holy trinity of me,
myself and I? It is not to say that all the dimensions of our lives are
not important enough or should not, in it's own given time and season,
be ignored or properly dealt with accordingly.
In fact, I
believe Jesus would be awfully disappointed if we did not do what we had
to do when we had to do it for the sake of His Kingdom. So we should
still be about the business of our lives when and where we are called to
do so, but also we are to be equally vigorous about the business of
living out the Gospel for the sake of all our neighbor's lives as well.
This where Jesus once again suddenly breaks into our earthly priorities: "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth
and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So please
consider: Where is your J O Y this morning?
Let Us Pray:
Dear Lord, Creator of all things, everything on earth is yours. We have
nothing that can make you richer, for it all comes from you in the first
place. But what we have we bring – the acknowledgment that we live
thanks to you, and that without you we have nothing and can do nothing.
Help us who have received so freely from you to give as freely in our
turn, and so have the pleasure of giving as well as the JOY and happiness of receiving. For Jesus, who died poor that we should be rich in Him.
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Read: Matthew 6:19 - 21
Last night when I was doing some basic shopping for the house, I looked around the grocery store and took the time to notice that there seemed to be allot more people than I would have otherwise expected for that time of the night. It likewise dawned on me that the parking lot was pretty full too. Then the obvious dawned on me: It is one day closer to that day of all days called "Thanksgiving". The shopping carts were loaded to the brim, the shoppers seemed to be trying to push Mount Everest forward and through the aisles looking for all the food stuffs they were going to need to spend hours and hours in their kitchens preparing grand meals for their families and friends.
The year is almost over. It has moved quite quickly it seems. Day after day has gone by. Children have been in school learning what it is they will need to build character. Birthdays, anniversaries, vacations, people working hard on their jobs if they have them or working hard to try and find one that will pay the bills, keep a roof over their head, keeping or putting food on the table to feed their families, Wars being fought or threatening to start in far away lands. So, I'm contemplating the meaning of all that earthly stuff when Jesus breaks in: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal." Boing!! The Light broke into my darkness.
Undoubtedly it has been said somewhere and oftentimes repeated that our priorities as a Christian should be J O Y (Jesus, Others, You). Yet, I find myself wondering, in the reality that is pressing against us from all sides and all points of the compass, just how do we see our priorities. Where do we see the JOY principal in our lives, in our finances, in our daytime or our night time, and in the everyday decisions that we all make. Do we worry too much about and serve the Holy trinity of me, myself and I? It is not to say that all the dimensions of our lives are not important enough or should not, in it's own given time and season, be ignored or properly dealt with accordingly.
In fact, I believe Jesus would be awfully disappointed if we did not do what we had to do when we had to do it for the sake of His Kingdom. So we should still be about the business of our lives when and where we are called to do so, but also we are to be equally vigorous about the business of living out the Gospel for the sake of all our neighbor's lives as well. This where Jesus once again suddenly breaks into our earthly priorities: "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." So please consider: Where is your J O Y this morning?
Let Us Pray: Dear Lord, Creator of all things, everything on earth is yours. We have nothing that can make you richer, for it all comes from you in the first place. But what we have we bring – the acknowledgment that we live thanks to you, and that without you we have nothing and can do nothing. Help us who have received so freely from you to give as freely in our turn, and so have the pleasure of giving as well as the JOY and happiness of receiving. For Jesus, who died poor that we should be rich in Him.
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Laura Story - Friend of Sinners - Lyrics
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You
have shown us what is holy How to bless the Father's heart To act
justly and love mercy To walk humbly with our God This is who you are
This is who
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