Skip to main content

Give to Get

    From the outside looking in, many people look at Christians for what they give up. They see them avoiding all the "fun" things of life and don't understand why. This is a huge misconception in the eyes of the world and likewise in the eyes of the Christian community. I daresay most of us do not even understand why we give up so much and resolve that it is just the "Christian" thing to do. But I want to point out that it is not about what you give up, but what you gain.

    Jesus has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. At first we are living in darkness and do not recognize what is good and what is evil. This is why He gave us His word. It shows us in black and white what is beneficial and what is harmful to us. God never intended for us to live a boring life without things that are pleasurable. In fact, He intended the opposite! But the world's idea of what is good is only pleasurable to the flesh. What Jesus calls good nourishes our Spirits.

    Do not be afraid to lay it all down for Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. The things of the world cannot truly satisfy you. Don't think of what you are giving up in the flesh, but instead focus on the eternal satisfaction that you are gaining in Him. It is a gift that you cannot receive except through Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can give you everything you need to satisfy your soul.

Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. (NIV)
Mark 8:36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? (NLT)

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (ESV)

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (ESV)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jealous Eyes to Thankful Hearts

    When you love someone you want the best for them. You don't think about all the things they have and you don't, but you think of what you want to give to them. Likewise, it is hard to love someone when you are focused on wanting all their blessings. Jealousy is blinding. We cannot love with envy standing in the way.     Envy takes our eyes off of Jesus and the things He is doing and onto what He is not  seeming to do for us, personally. It is a dangerous trap to be in because you are blind to what He has given to you. He blesses and uses us all differently. Amazingly, we are each completely unique in Him. Don't let the enemy distract you with what you don't seem to have, but let Jesus show you what you do.     When we don't see what is around us we begin to lose our thankfulness. We are supposed to be living a lifestyle of thankfulness to Jesus and all the wonderful things He has done for us. We thank Him and we praise Him and let Him use us ac...
Post a Comment
Read more

How Firm a Foundation

Matthew 7:24-27 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Luke 6:46-49 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seeing by Faith

    When we are trying to live by faith, the things that inhibit us are the things that are right under our noses. We are trained to live based on the things around us. We don't believe anything if we don't see proof of it. The things around us are more our reality than what we say we believe in. But the Bible tells us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. We are to live based on what we know is truth, not by what we see.     The things we see around us distract us from the reality we should be living in. What is unseen is eternal and more important than the things of this world. We need to fix our eyes on what is lasting and know the difference. We need to be filling ourselves with the word and not the world. When we are distracted by the world, we forget the truth. We become discouraged and doubt our faith. We need to draw strength from one another so that we may run the race with endurance.     What is determining your reality today? Is i...
Post a Comment
Read more