Jesus has a remarkable way of turning established values and traditions upside down. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Jesus is a cultural change agent. He calls into question things that would have been universally seen as good and desirable. And as He does, He invites us to look at them with fresh eyes.
The Lord wants you to know that life in His Kingdom is more real and substantial than the circumstances and challenges you face each day. He wants you to know that you have an identity that transcends your socioeconomic status or list of followers and likes on facebook, twitter, or the gram. In fact, according to Jesus, you can be poor and destitute and yet live this very moment as an inheritor of God’s kingdom and riches.
Do we actually believe this?
If you live in the developed West, by historic standards you are incredibly wealthy. It is ironic then to consider how deeply we fear the loss of wealth and devote so much of our time to the pursuit of greater and greater affluence. Yet we often fail to realize how this pursuit is significantly shaping and forming us as human beings. This way of living can make us inward focused, self-absorbed people who miss God’s invitation to live in freedom and give ourselves away for the sake of His call and the betterment of others.
A significant leader in the early church, St. John Chrysostom, once said, “luxury often leads to forgetfulness.” How true this statement is. We can forget others and their needs. We can forget our own need for God. And we can forget that luxury is here today and gone tomorrow. To put our hopes and dreams in comfort and affluence is to look at a way that ultimately leads to death and to call it the way of life.
On the other hand, Jesus invites us to join him in the way of life even when it is hard and you are filled with pain and doubt. He wants you to know that there is always a way forward in which your fears and sorrows do not have to define you or derail your faith. Because we are loved and known by God, we are set free from the love of wealth and the endless pursuit of affluence, to be a person of influence beaming with Christ's love and attributes.
Learn afresh the joy that comes from celebrating simplicity and modesty. It turns you outward from your own obsession with self and liberates you to freely give your time, talent, and treasure for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. Better to have influence that will impact people past your years of living, then be a person of affluence that you can't take with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.