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Christ is All that Matters

“Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.” Colossians 3:11

Do you ever get so caught up in the busyness of life that your priorities get shifted? I do. I get so focused on getting the next job so I can pay the never-ending demands of bills, that I forget my purpose.

Jesus said that because He came and died for us we could live an abundant life…and that means here, not just in eternity.

So sometimes I let my meaning of abundant life overshadow Jesus’ meaning. When I think of abundant I want abundance. Yes, ever flowing money to meet all of my wants and then some.

And yes Jesus does want us to live in the freedom of a stress free life and in this world that often means an excess of money. But I can honestly say that I have been more joyful during times of need then when I’ve had more than enough.

It’s because during those times I’ve had to rely solely on God to meet all of my needs. I’ve had to focus on Him instead of my problems, because if I didn’t I would be a complete wreck. And by focusing on God and not me, I found joy because God is greater than any problem I will ever have.

And to be honest, focusing on me is just plain boring. God is simply amazing and continues to wow me. Without Jesus I’m just blah.

Right now I’m in a time where I need to keep looking to God for sustenance. I need Him desperately to fill me with strength and courage and boldness. God has to come through for me on a daily basis or I will crawl back in my cocoon and raise the white flag of surrender to the world’s pressures.

But I am reminded that Christ is all that matters. We are called to be in the world but not of the world. We have to deal with the issues we face, but we don’t have to surrender to the materialistic, self-absorbed mindset of our society. We need to be Kingdom-focused.

Our main purpose as Christians is to guide people to Jesus. Our lives should be a living testimony of how God has changed us from the inside out. We should be the happiest people on this earth. The joy of the Lord should exude from us. We should be incapable of keeping silent about Jesus.

Christ is all that matters. This place is temporary for us, just a blip on the timeline of our lives. We all have problems, and yes some are extreme, and yes I’ve been through some strength zapping times.

But I’m choosing to believe that Christ is all that matters. I can get through anything because Jesus said I was important enough to die for. And He said that about you too.

So what will you believe? I hope you will decide that Christ is all that matters

Nothing is Wasted

“I replied, ‘But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’” Isaiah 49:4

Have you ever felt like your work is futile? That all the things you do are for nothing? Do you ever wonder why God put you in that job, that marriage, that position, that calling? Do the dirty dishes, laundry, floors, kids all seem to pile up taunting you with their never-ending demands?

We see people in great positions receiving abounding accolades and we wonder why we aren’t called to greatness. Our jealousy threatens to rear its ugly head. So we decide that when our circumstances change, when we get that job, when our children are more self-sufficient, when our spouses give us more attention then we will be happy.

The monotony of life can suck the joy out of us. And we can become complacent, complaining, contrary, and ultimately discontent. And that’s a dangerous place to be.

But can I tell you that nothing we do goes unnoticed? God sees it all – the great and the mundane – including our attitudes that accompany our every day tasks.

When our heart is right with God, when we realize that He is our ultimate reward, when we are more concerned about His approval rather than man’s then we can be content in any situation, with any role, with any task.

Because ultimately our number one job on this earth is to love as Jesus loved. And God calls us to love the people we see on a daily basis. And that means overbearing clients, eccentric coworkers, grumpy neighbors, disobedient children, and impatient strangers. God has placed us exactly where He wants us so that we can let Jesus shine through us to a dark and hurting world.

God is not surprised at where we are in life. He watches over us, leading us to places where we can serve Him best. Our skills, talents, personalities were all designed by Him and He asks us to serve Him in the mundane as well as in the thrilling.

We aren’t all called to be on a stage with thousands applauding our efforts. But we all are called to be a living testimony of what God has done in our lives.

So if you ever feel like Isaiah was talking about in the verse above, just know that nothing you do for God is ever wasted. Even if your efforts seem to go unnoticed or are dismissed, know that you are planting seeds and that God is ultimately responsible for what happens.

So trust Him, keep living out loud what Jesus has done for you. And know that God sees you and is pleased with you and He will reward you so much better than the applause and attention of thousands.