Making It Matter

12/27/07

Author: Roger Barrier

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Pull out your sneakers and sweats. Pay off your credit card debts. Take down the tree. New Year’s resolutions are often wishful thinking. How do you know if your life is on track? I think Jesus would say that there are four things that really matter. Knowing the person of Jesus Christ really matters. Loving the people God has placed in our lives really matters. Finding and following the purpose of God for our lives really matters. Finally, obtaining the “prizes” of God really matters.  

Friendship with God implies that we know God so well, we know His heart. We don’t just memorize His moral codes and use them as a ruler to condemn others, we learn to revere Him for His holiness and love Him for His unconditional love and compassion for His creatures. 

Christ wants us to prefer people over projects. We live in a culture that tells us the measure of success is money, status, and achievements. Jesus tells us our lives are successful if we are passionate about people. 

God is not the Easter bunny. He does not whimsically peer over the parapets of heaven and say “You’re getting warmer!” God wants us to find His will for our lives. King Solomon writes in Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” 

Finally, seeking spiritual rewards really matters. God awards us heavenly crowns for loving His return, loving the lost, suffering for His kingdom, denying ourselves and shepherding His people. Such goals may seem unattainable, but God never gives us a challenge without providing the grace to fulfill His will. At life’s end, we will be able to say that our lives were filled with passion, power and blessing.   

 

 

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