What is it that you are looking for, do you have separate agendas, as it were, a vision of the future of your own desires and pursuits, and a separate one for your spiritual life, the one you have determined fits best your ideology of what is pleasing to God?
Almost all of us are chasing after something, and most generally these pursuits lead us deeper into the world, we fixate upon items that we desire, and then attempt to place ourselves upon the paths that will ensure, as much as possible, the acquisition of that item. Most generally, but not always of course, this requires first and foremost the pursuit of money, the exchange unit that is agreed upon on this planet, pieces of colored paper that we have determined have value, shiny rocks and rare materials are worth more in the eyes of man than dirt and grass. “Everything has a price” we like to say, but God says, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36) The values of life though are not as valuable as life itself are they, what dying man who does not know Jesus Christ as Lord would not give all he owns for just a few more hours of life.
To a degree, you can gain the whole world my friend, almost every hope and dream that you have in it that you can accomplish, and although they are fleeting, although they will not last, the accumulation of them are satisfying to the lost, and sadly to many who profess Christ as Lord. I do not know if you have noticed this or not, but all of those things we surround ourselves with in this world seem to slowly fade away in time, they lose their initial luster, the pursuit of them can at times be more gratifying than the final satisfaction of owning them, the next new thing must come along, the next thing of the world that will bring satisfaction, and my friends, very few of us are rarely satisfied for long.
The world and all the things, items and people it contains is an excellent place to prove the children of God, it is the perfect training ground for the saints, fill it with every wonder imaginable, and then, like the child in the largest toy store, tell them they can have anything they want. Let them know that eventually that toy will break or wear down, that they can go back anytime they desire to go and get another item, but none will last, all will perish in time. And then give them this information, that if they will seek first the toy maker, if they will serve in patience and humility the one who fills the store with all the goods, then they may have all, and none will fade away. “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
There is a hollow, short-term type of joy in this world, we call it happiness, we name it self-fulfillment, we call it satisfaction, and nearly all chase after it every day. In the lost this is expected, they are blind to the truths of Almighty God, (2 Cor. 4:3) but sadly there are many who fill the church pews every weekend who are exactly the same, they have two agendas, they lead double lives, they seek the things of the world before the things of God, (Romans 1:25) their priorities are skewed. They neglect their service to Christ during the week, yet still ask Him to bless them with the things of the world, a better or newer this or that, a healthy body, long life with the pretense of serving Him while they continue to have only their own self-interest at heart. They trade time in the Word of God for hours in front of the television or their cell phones and still expect to hear His directions for their lives, they will spend countless hours with friends and family members, but little to no time with Christ alone, being “Still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) They will spend their lives contemplating their lives in the world, their projected path they have set for themselves, the bills, the daily wants and needs, not taking the Savior at His word that He “Shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19) And yet they want to be blessed, they want Him to provide a safe, secure, and sure life for them while offering little to nothing at all in return for that mercy and grace. “The love of many” (Matt. 24:12) is not just waxing cold towards our neighbors my friends, it is waxing cold towards Christ.
The hundred, sixty, and thirty Christians are few and far between, instead we meet those who do the least possible and expect the most from Christ. Many there are whose priorities are misplaced, they profess Christ with their lips, but their hearts serve themselves and the world around them. These are not the lost sheep, (Matt. 18:12-14) these are not prodigal sons, (Luke 15:11-32) these are deceived, these are not the saved of the Lord. They serve a religious icon, an image made to look as unto the Son of man, it is not Christ they serve, but their own selfish desires.
When a man’s priorities are in order with the will of God, he sees nothing of value in this world, he holds no friendship toward it, he may own much, but not one item in his possession owns him. “The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” (Job 1:21)The only item he possess, the only prize he is continually seeking for is Jesus Christ, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11) It is more than a little difficult to say the least to see and not want, to not covet that which is before our eyes. The old saying stands strong in its truth, “It is better to want something sometimes than to have it.” Jesus Christ created everything that is, (Gen. 1:1) we choose for ourselves, sometimes along with the help of Satan, to want what we can have now, what we can hold now, when if we would but possess our souls in patience, (Luke 21:19) we would receive all that is and ever will be.
Most of mankind does not know that patience though, most want instant gratification, most cannot see the greatest prize that awaits those who will but serve with patient humility. Do not be like them, do not trade this one tiny little planet for the entire kingdom of God. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:2)
