Jeremiah 22:15-16
But a beautiful palace does
not make a great king! Why did your father Josiah reign so long? Because
he was just and fair in all his dealings. That is why God blessed him.
He saw to it that justice and help were given the poor and the needy and
all went well for him. This is how a man lives close to God.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
A friend and I were
recently discussing how we Christians treat others…and how our words and
actions are perceived by those in our midst. We both acknowledged
firsthand acquaintance with more than one person who appears to “have it
all”…yet they seem about as spiritually empty as one can get. When you
examine how these folks treat others, it’s not a stretch to explain the
correlation.
Let’s be honest… when “it’s all about me”…it’s not
about God. When you are “in it”…meaning life, your business, personal
relationships - or whatever thoughts and activities fill your day – for
the sheer purpose of what YOU can gain or how YOU can benefit…there
isn’t much - if any - room for God or others.
This is not about
wealth, money or power…because I know people with plenty of all three
who still manage to keep the balance. They fully utilize their
“blessings” to serve God. Their first step is to ask Him, “What should I
do for YOU today?”…and they plot their course accordingly. There are
others who focus totally on their own gain. By all appearances, these
people may be highly successful. But if you study the whole of their
lives, I bet you will find that they truly are anything BUT close to
God.
Understand what I am saying…you cannot “have it all” until
you step outside of your SELF and focus on God. HE gave us every
blessing that we enjoy! Our job is to be good stewards of these gifts.
My challenge is that we examine our priorities – and our hearts. This
is not about the quantity in our lives…but rather, the quality
of our choices and actions with regard to what we have been given. The
goal is to draw close to God…to find Him in our daily living and keep Him near to us at all times. In order to do this, we have to stay busy thinking about God and others…and forgetting ourselves.
Do you feel close to God? Is it all about you – or Him? Is it time to shift your focus? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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