Seek First (Daily Reflections on Mt. 6:19-34)

The New Year is a natural time for reflection. It's a perfect time do a quick check on our current status and general direction and tweak our path or practices or habits or diet or financial investments. Each year in January the health clubs get an overflow of new membership signees. Yet studies show us that many of those eager enthusiasts lose heart and drop out of sight within six weeks. Staying focused on our newly established priorities often gets derailed by old habits and daily routines.

It's one thing to announce a new set of priorities or values or even direction. It's quite another thing to pull them off. Newton's Laws may have some impact on the personal patterns of our life. And perhaps the old cliche is right that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Or maybe the one that says, "Old habits die hard." (Sounds like the theme of a new Bruce Willis movie.)

As I was reading through the end of Matthew 6 again it began to occur to me that our vision might have something to do with the inability to get to where we need to go with our life or to become what God would want for our life. In this section of Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts addressing the base issue. He talks about where we store up our treasure. We can either store up treasure on earthly things or we can store up our treasure on heavenly things. Vision. Where are we looking? What has the greatest appeal to us? What pulls us in for a second look and third look and captures our focus?

In Tolkien's, Lord of the Rings, Smeagol becomes so enamored by the Ring of Power that it consumes his life and transforms him to the hideous life of the creature Gollum. He refers to the rings as, "My Precious." In his own words, "he has to have it." Gollum can no longer see anything else. In the end it destroys him.

Jesus urges us not to store up our treasures on the corruptible things of this earth. He commands us to change our focus to heavenly things, things of His Kingdom which is incorruptible and eternal. He urges us to set our sites not on wealth and materialism and power and position and things that the world considers of great value. Because, what you set your vision on, you will pursue and it will consume you.

And what's interesting is that Jesus goes on in Matthew 6 to talk about the eyes. He says the eyes are the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, he says, then your body will be healthy. If your eyes are unhealthy, then your body will be full of darkness. He's not talking about pink eye or cataracts or glaucoma here. He's talking about our vision, what we set our eyes on. What we set our focus on is what we will become or what will eventually consume us. Focus on the things of this world and in the end we will be consumed by them.

And ironically, Jesus' next twist takes a direct stab at our desire for riches, wealth, money, mammon, personal gain or whatever other word you want to insert there that draws our focus away from heavenly things. He proclaims that it's impossible to serve two masters. And without beating around the bush just comes out and says, "You cannot serve God and money."

It goes back to the eyes and vision and focus and motivation and priorities and the distractions of old habits and daily routines. When we set our eyes on the things of this world, our focus moves off of God and His Kingdom and heavenly things and then our life falls back to ultimate destructive forces. Nobody sets down to gain 40, 50, 60, 100 pounds after finishing high school or college or after getting married or having a baby. Somehow it just grows on us. Nobody after getting married sets out to see if they can ruin their relationship. Nobody tries to purposely overextend themselves financially when the get that job. Yet over time it happens. It's about our eyes!

That's why Jesus tells us not to focus on material, worldly stuff. Is there anything inherently wrong with houses or cars or boats or cell phones or tablets or clothes or having a portfolio? Absolutely not. It's the focus on getting, having, accumulating stuff that pulls us downward and corrupts our lives.  

Jesus says, don't worry about stuff. Do not preoccupy yourself with material goods or gain. Focus on Him not climbing the corporate ladder or adding tallies to your life. Focus on "seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness." God knows what you need. He will meet your needs.

Some of the biggest issues people bring to me or complain about or struggle with are finances, stress and time. And usually the stress has to do with time and/or finances. And time because they are involved in four hundred million things or have their kids in those activities so that some day they can get ahead and have things. And often finances are wrapped in those things too. Of course many time finances are an issue because people haven't managed their resources well because they had to have stuff.

It's no wonder our world fills up with darkness, our hearts fill up with darkness, our lives fill up with darkness and stress and heartache and burdens and those feelings of being overwhelmed overwhelm us. It's the eyes. It's our vision. It's our focus. Seek first HIS Kingdom and HIS righteousness.

God, help me to keep my eyes only on you. You direct me my path, my life, my heart, my thoughts, my finances. I want to be full of light. I don't want those dark feeling to overwhelm me. 

Daily Reflections on Ps. 139:17-18 (Keeping Focused on the Right Things)

There's just something about looking at the stars at night. On a cloudless night, away from all the city lights, gazing into the starry heavens is just amazing. I remember when I was kid, my dad got me a telescope so that I could gaze more deeply into the universe. I had gotten into space from the time I listened to John Glenn orbiting the earth. But my interest heightened after the first landing on the moon. My dad and I got out the telescope to look closely for the astronauts landing site.

It was easy to see the moon and some of the terrain, but my little telescope didn't allow me to see any of the stars real close even at maximum power. They still were so far away. It really hit me how vast the universe really was and how really small I was in comparison. It got me thinking how vast God must be to have created it all. I was in awe of Him. The expanse of God's power and thoughts blew me away.

The psalmist talks about the vastness of God's thoughts in Psalm 139. God's wisdom, His understanding, His knowledge is unfathomable. Like the universe there is no end to them. It dawned on me one day that God understood and knew all about nuclear fission long before we discovered it, because He laid out the principles. We have may a hard time with quantum mechanics and string theory, but God just smirks at our quandary over it. There is nothing He doesn't know. The most complex questions of our universe is child's play to God.

Yet of all the things God knows, the focus of His thoughts are on us. Now that blows me away. I keep going back to Psalm 8 and crying out, "O God, how majestic your are. What is man that you think about us? about me?" Yet He does. I'm the object of His thoughts. That's incredible. He's got a whole universe to consider and deal with and He is thinking about me first and foremost. He knows the number of hairs on my head. He knows when I have a hang nail. Unbelievable! He's thinking of me and He's thinking of you this very moment. He knows my thoughts right this instance.

If with all that God has to do in the universe He's focused on each of us, on me, then how can I be too busy to think about Him. And better yet, how can I be too busy for my spouse or my family? God has a whole lot more on His plate than I do. And if He can stay focused on us, individually, what excuse do I have not to focus on the people who are closest to me? I know that I'm not God and have physical limitations, and after all there is only so much time in the day. However, it ought to help prioritize what's really important in my life. My responsibilities, my stuff, my agenda isn't nearly as involved or important as God's, so if God thinks that focusing on the people He loves above all else is vital, maybe there's a lesson for me.

God, you are so awesome. I'm am drawn to your majestic nature. I'm drawn not just because you have unlimited knowledge and power. I'm drawn because you're focused on me and demonstrate that love to me. Help me to have the same kind of thoughtfulness and focus on my wife and family. Give me the insight, wisdom, strength, timing and love I need to express to my loved ones.

Daily Reflections on Phil. 3:8-11 (What's Life About Anyway?)

As I write this I'm sitting in an ICU waiting room with my father struggling for his life in the next room. Hospital waiting rooms are a unique place, especially ICU where everyone's loved one is in crisis. All else stops. Work, school, daily priorities, urgent tasks all seem to be less important. At these moments you can't help but reflect on what really matters in life.

Obviously God never intended for us just to sit around contemplating the lint in our navel. Paul says those who don't work don't get to eat. James says that those who don't take care of the needs of their families are worse than infidels. But when all else is stripped away, what are we left with?

The only thing that really means anything right now to my dad is his relationship with Christ. That's been his whole life, serving Christ, proclaiming Christ, holding up Christ. Recently, because of my dad's failing health, my folks downsized. Sold were the tools and toys and stuff that once seemed so important. Now? Hanging onto Christ is all he has.

I was reading these verses as a teen when I felt God's call on my life. It was one of those moments when I came face to face with God and the issue was whose was I going to be. It was as if God said, "Are you gonna give me your life or aren't you? What's it gonna be?" I chose to gain Christ.

Since that moment, my life changed. By pursuing Christ I stopped having to prove myself. I walk in the confidence of Christ, not my personality or gift mix or talents or intelligence or good looks. I stopped worrying about what my peers thought of me and started focusing on what Christ thought of me and fulfilling His purpose for my life. What a freeing experience!

God, there certainly are a lot of pulls on me in life, things that call me to direct my attention toward. Help me give the proper priority to those things that matter most. I don't want to reach the end of my life only to realize I chased the wrong things. Thanks for the security I have in you. My life is yours! Thanks also for my dad's promise of gaining you.

Daily Reflections on Mt. 16:24-28

Following Jesus is definitely not the Simple Life. It's not for wimps, cowards or for those who want an easy life. Jesus says to follow Him it starts by denying ourselves, taking up our cross and going wherever He leads. Wherever He leads isn't a stroll in the park.

Denying self is willing to give up our agendas, personal desires, goals to follow His. That's literally the meaning of repentance, to change your thinking to God's way of thinking. Everything about you is surrendered to Him to be use according to His will. That means gifts, talents, resources, abilities, everything. The truth is because God created us and understands our dreams, thoughts, aspirations, ambitions, goals, abilities, etc., He will use those to accomplish His purpose through you.

The kicker is you have to yield those to Him. It's not about asking God to bless your dreams or wants. It's about want what God wants, pursuing what He's blessing. Personal gain in the end will mean nothing unless it is surrendered for Kingdom use.

Recently, because of my dad's failing health, my parents went from a 2 story, 4 bedroom house with a 2 car garaged filled with stuff compiled over the years to a 2 bedroom condo with a one car garage. Tools, toys, keepsakes, stuff had to be disposed of because there was no place for it or use for it. No longer can my dad work in his shop or play a round of golf or even drive a car. At the end of his life he is frail and weak. In the same way he came into this world, he's going out. As a friend of mine once said, "All this stuff is just gonna burn in the end."

Following Jesus is about surrendering. Not always easy, but the payoff is eternal. Someone once said, "Only one life will soon be passed. Only what's done for God will last." God, help me to keep my priorities straight and focused on what really matters. I want to be your vessel. Use me today for your purpose.