“But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you.” John 6 v 27
Sometimes I would love to have a secret camera hidden above my fridge door! So much activity appears to gravitate around the fridge in our house. The kids peek inside to see what tempting treats might be there. My husband opens the door and groans because he realises we are out of milk again. We can become so consumed everyday with making sure we have what we need to feed ourselves well, but I know when it comes to growing teenage boys those appetites are just never satisfied!!
So much time can be spent on the temporal things of life. Obviously, we all need to eat but there are many things that pull at our attention everyday. Things that we magnify, things that we get too concerned over and when we step back and take stock, they really are not game changers when it comes to what is truly significant in life. There are many things that we can find ourselves chasing after, it could be buying a new house, going after a promotion, taking on more responsibility in work or saving up for a dream holiday. None of these things are wrong in and of themselves, but we all need to hit pause at regular intervals and do a quick MOT on ourselves in terms of where we are investing our time and energy.
You see the best life we can possibly experience only comes from the Lord.
In-fact our inner peace and contentment can never be fulfilled outside of him. No matter where we go in this life, how high up the corporate ladder we climb, how many academic achievements we have, how many friends we have on Facebook or how esteemed we might be in our family circle, none of this will ever meet the deepest need in our heart. We all long to be truly known and truly loved and to be assured of our eternal salvation. We are designed to build our lives upon the purposes of the King and to allow his kingdom to set the agenda for our daily pursuits. What I have found in my life is as I have let go of my striving and my ambition, he has brought me into wide open spaces and given me opportunities that I could never have dreamed of finding if I had been left to my own devices.
The Lord understands the hunger in our hearts better than we could ever understand it, because he placed it there. He has given you a longing for significance, a longing to make a difference, a longing to show love and share his goodness. Where most of us come unstuck is when we take these desires and then try to work them out in our own strength. When we take on the responsibility of being significant for the Lord, of trying to prove ourselves worthy to God or trying to find our value from other people and achievement.
When we do it God’s way and put our trust squarely in his plans, his timing and his connections we will find there is an ease and a flow. We won’t feel like we are being pulled from all directions we will begin to sense his leading and guiding. We will find that our energy is not being taken up with futile tasks, but we actually sense a grace in the activities that we do. In his anointing we will see ourselves walking into positions of influence and favour and we will find that it will begin to testify to those around us of the goodness and glory of the Lord.
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Who Do You Say I Am Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2020