Mark 8:35
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
Lately I have been feeling challenged to do more, to live for something more than just me. In a sense I feel as if I have been living in my own little bubble of faith. It's just me and my prayers for my life and the people connected for me. Forgetting that their is a whole world out there, an entire nation of people that God has sent me for, but I am too consumed with my life to see them. I am too busy praying for what I want that I overlook that the fact that there is more than just me. Yeah, I read my bible and pray every morning and before I go to bed, but when I think about it, my prayers are very much directed inward. God help me, help me reach my dreams and goals, help my family, my friends, But what about the other dreamers, what about the families that have no one to pray for them. Being a Christian is more than just praying for God to help us live a righteous life, but it's about praying for those that don't even know they have the opportunity to live a righteous life. It's about living a life like Jesus, one that seeks out the broken just to heal them. Reading the word of God not just so it can transform my life but sharing it so that it can transform the lives of others.
If we as the body of Christ will turn our prayer away from ourselves, and towards the people of God. If we will turn our prayers towards the broken and the sick, and the tormented. If we will take our eyes off ourselves, our religion, our denominations, church attire, and the number of church services we have in a day. If we turn our focus towards the bigger picture, we will discover an entire world of people that have yet to come in contact or know who Jesus is. We will find that there are people begging for prayer. There are people begging to hear the word of God, but are we too consumed with our own small circle to see that it can go further than where we are. It needs to go further than where we are. This means that we have to put ourselves on the back burner, we have to set our needs and wants aside because the needs and wants of God's children is greater. The needs of the person with no food is greater than our need to go out and hang with friends at an expensive restaurant. Our needs or want for the latest pair of Jordan's or whatever it may be becomes pretty small when we see that someone is walking around with no shoes on their feet and no clothes on their back. Our needs and wants become pretty small when we think about the needs and want so of others. We are walking around boasting in a life that we live while we walk past our brother and sister that only wants a glimpse of what we have. There's too many millionaires and billionaires in the world for millions even billions of people to be starving, living on the streets, and living in toxic and harmful conditions. There are too many church leaders and ministers for there to be people walking around as broken as they are, sometimes from he seats of our churches. God didn't give us what we have just for us. We are here for something much greater much bigger than ourselves. Like a doctor has the ability to heal, they know that if they do not use their knowledge to do their job someone's life will be on the line. If a surgeon has the ability to fix someone's heart but does not do so what is the use of them being a surgeon on the first place if they are not going to do what they have been educated to do (I've been watching a lot of Grey's anatomy lately).
No matter how big and great we think we are, God sent us here for something much bigger ad greater. We all want to matter and we all think we matter and we do. But at the end of the day God is less concerned with how much you mattered to the people that adored you. We are seeking this adoration from people instead of seeking approval from God. We are living this life that is shaped to elevating ourselves. There's no use of getting to the top if when we get there we left everyone at the bottom to die. Why are so consumed with this idea of being adored so much that we are willing to overlook the people that actually need our adoration. We are willing to walk pass the person that maybe all they needed was for us to smile at them but we are consumed with the number of people smiling at our presence. There is nothing wrong with being adored but when we think about what are we adored for, and is it all about self gain?
I had to learn to look away from myself so I can see the world God ha placed me in too help heal and save. We are constantly asking God to save and change the world. We all want world peace, we want the broken to be healed, so we pray. We pray and ask god to do it, and when we don't see a change we pray again and this cycle continues. But did we ever think we are the answer to those prayers? Did we ever think that nothing is happening because we aren't doing it? Did we ever think that the very task or mission we are trying to put off on God He has put on us? We pray for change but it never crosses our mind that God sent us to where we are because we are the change that we have been praying for. But we think that asking God to do it is enough and having faith to do it is enough. It's not when the mission is ours. It's not enough when He's telling us and equipping us to do it. Let's not neglect our mission because we are so consumed with ourselves and our small little world.
All this to say, when we look away from ourselves that is when we will realize that God sent us here with a mission and it is more than just our lives involve. We will have to be the least and last sometimes. We will have to sacrifice, the question is are we willing. It less about being able and more about being willing. God wouldn't give it to us if we didn't have the ability but do we have the will? That's the question. Do we have the will to live for something that will not necessarily make us great but will be greater than us. There's a reward, a satisfaction, a fulfillment if you will in living for something outside of self. That's why giving our lives to Christ completes us.
Response/Prayer Time
Take the time to reflect and respond on what we discussed today. Have a conversation with God about what we talked about. Ask yourself if you are willing to take on the mission God has for you.
I love you all so much and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 347!
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