Finite vs. Infinite

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." ~1 John 2:15-17

I don't mean to be redundant, but this post essentially is an extension of my previous post on worldliness. It seems to be something that has been weighing on my mind and heart lately, quite possibly because I've been rather aware of my own struggle as of late to focus less on what the world thinks and more about how I should live faithfully for God. It's so easy to get caught up in envy and pride these days with the ever expanding social media that makes you hyper aware of what others have and what you may not. Some desire to have the trendiest fashion sense or the most likes or followers, while others yearn to live someone else's life. I'll admit that half the reason I go on the internet these days is to see if anybody likes my tweets, blog posts, or photos on Instagram, and that's no way to go through life. It's pointless to yearn for someone's approval that is finite and could change overnight. Contentment in what we have and resting in God almost seems to be a thing of the past, and that's where we've all strayed at somepoint and got it all wrong.
This will sound silly to those who know me best, but it was through listening to Taylor Swift's "The Lucky One" that I really started to evaluate what I value most and how silly and absurd it is to desire anything from the world. This song is all about someone who moves to LA to become the center of attention, but once she succeeds, she longs to get out of town and live essentially in obscurity. When she was all over the headlines, she never understood her true worth and value since there was always someone in the wings striving to take her place. Everyone felt that the lucky one was in the spotlight, but at the end of the song, Taylor admits that the one who hightailed it out of town to spare her dignity was the one who was lucky.
I think we all need to realize the fact that trying to be the most popular, trendy, or famous person will only lead to our own self destruction. Trying to please the world is like trying to breathe with a wet blanket over your face; you just suffocate from the frustration of it all. That's because the world lies and schemes against us. It really has nothing to offer us that will quench the desires of our hearts and that's why we must continually focus on Jesus. Jesus not only is the best representation of the love we yearn for, but He is infinite and will never fade away. Just because we don't see Him doesn't mean He doesn't exist. I think that's why so many of us strive for things of the world; they appear tangible, when in reality, they are the things that are the most easily destroyed and ripped out from under us. God's love for us, once we accept Christ as our Savior, can never be destroyed, but so many refuse to trust it because it doesn't appear to be tangible. Many would rather live their lives on their terms because they think they know what is best, but that's the sure fire way to failure. There's a song by House of Heroes called "Comfort Trap" that depicts how so many of us chafe against the will of God during the sanctification process of our lives because we are still convinced that we know best, even though God created us and is the reason we are alive. The following lines really hit home with me and how easily it is to fall into the trappings of the world:

I lost my dream in the comfort trap.

I told my God his will could wait,

I've got one foot in a rich man's grave,

I heard it calling in my sleep at night,

So I killed my dream with a butcher knife,

I told my heart to toe the line,

You had all that time, the rest is mine.

I'm gonna get nice things and get my way,

Even if it means there's hell to pay,

I'm gonna have my cake and eat it too,

And what I don't eat I'm gonna force feed you,

I'm not looking for consolation,

Maybe I could settle for compensation,

Have my cake and eat it too,

And if it's all a lie I'm gonna say it's all true.

It's scary to think that people live this defiantly to God, but they do, including Christians, periodically. It's not easy to go where God calls us. We all want to do things our own way, having our cake and eating it too. And yes, we even find a way to convince ourselves we're on the right path, even when it's quite clear that we're not. It can all just lead to living one big perpetual lie because each and every day we are bombarded with opinions from worldly critics on how to conduct our lives. Everyone offers suggestions about how to get a job, save money, and live up to the American Dream. The problem is the fact that while we are striving for the American Dream, our souls are shriveling and not getting fed the living water that Christ has to offer. Every time we make that decision to listen to the world and its desires before listening to God the Father, we are taking a step away from heaven. As the verses above state, if our hearts are more consumed with worldly desires, then the love of God does not truly reside in us. It all comes down to how you choose to function on a daily basis. You can choose to strive after the things that will fade away and disappoint, or you can choose to have faith and allow God to rule your life and lead you down the right path, even if it isn't a path that is accepted by worldly standards. But that's the whole point. The life and walk of the Christian should never blend in with the world; it should always stand out and look weird. If your life looks too much like that of the popular crowd, you're probably doing something wrong in the eyes of Jesus. He was the original rebel who went against the grain of society, so we must follow suit, but not in a way that we desire to get noticed. We must go against the grain because that is what we're called to do, not because it's trendy. 

So we all have a decision to make. We can either continue to live for the finite things of this world in the hopes that they will fill the void in our hearts, or we can choose to live for God who is infinite and unchanging. It's a very personal choice and not one that should be taken lightly. My hope is that more will realize that abiding in God is the best route to take because it is the only way to ensure eternal life in heaven. It's time to stop living for what's here on Earth and instead look up to God and surrender in faith.

W.A.I.T. Part 4: Fellowship Beats Self-Reliance

Genesis 2:18 "The LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'"

Living in America has effectively brainwashed the masses into assuming that they can do everything on their own. We are to just "pull ourselves up by our bootstraps" and soldier on through life, giving no thought to anybody else. This is exactly the kind of thinking I'm sure God frowns upon. As was highlighted in the verse at the top of this post, God desires for His people to have community and to rely on one another, not our own strength. This is exactly why Eve was created out of Adam's rib; to be his companion. God knew that Adam needed a helper, so He created a suitable one so that Adam would not get lonely in the Garden.
The same goes for us today. We are to be in community with one another in order to create the unifying Body of Christ. Romans 12:4-5 outlines this point by stating, "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Each and every person has a specific function within the body, and it is only when we all work together that we can find harmony. No single person has all of the answers, which is why we must turn to our brothers and sisters within the church for help. Not only can they assist us with our questions, but our fellow Christians can also pray for us and hold us accountable. If we stumble, we don't want to be alone. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 serves as a wonderful example of why we need each other: "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up."
Just this past week I had to remind myself about the benefits of the Body of Christ. I had a job interview on Thursday and I had mentioned it to my family earlier in the week so that they could pray for me. They urged me to share with other members of my Bible study group, but I'll admit that my first response to this idea was that I didn't want to ask for prayers. My gut reaction was that it was selfish to have others focus their prayers on me and my job interview, but then it hit me. It was even more selfish to rely on myself to get through the job interview without asking others for their prayers and support. Once I thought about it in that light, I immediately passed on the message to a handful of my friends at Bible study to please hold me in prayer, which they did gratefully. It was a great learning experience for me to remember to humble myself enough to ask for help instead of just relying on myself.
The Body of Christ is also a great place to eagerly seek counsel from others. The Book of Proverbs highlights the benefits of having others to counsel us. Proverbs 15:22 relays, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed," while Proverbs 18:1 expresses, "An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends and against all sound judgment starts quarrels." It is only when we express our plans to others that we succeed and avoid silly quarrels with others. When we think only of ourselves and not how our decisions might impact others around us, that is when we can run into trouble. It is best to seek the wisdom of others around us who are outside the situation in order to gain a different perspective on how to handle a particular set of circumstances.
Lastly, it is best to try and leave at peace with one another because we are essentially one big family. In Ephesians 4:2-3, it says, "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." This doesn't mean that everyday is going to be happy-hunky-dory, but if we strive to be patient with each other, we are better off in the long run. It is better to try and include everybody because nobody should feel like an outcast amongst other believers. Today, I was grateful for an elderly couple to extend an offer for me to join them for lunch at the local diner. Little did they know that I was dealing with a bit of anxiety because I felt a bit out of place surrounded by the numerous people, along with feeling disappointed over the reminder that my own grandmother has decided to cut herself off from her family. It was a moment that I felt quite lost and was questioning if I was indeed a part of the community, but their invitation served as a pleasant reminder that I am loved and hold a place of value within the Body of Christ. My goal is to continue to remind myself that I have a place within the community and that it is best to turn to others when I feel lost, rather than depend on myself. Not until I fully grasp this concept will I be able to thrive as a Christian.

W.A.I.T. Part 2: Enduring the Life of an Outcast

In this day and age, the goal for many people is to be well liked by many. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, seem to promote this concept. Everybody desires to have the most "friends" in order to improve their status amongst their peers. Even a song from the Broadway musical, Wicked, promotes this idea. The song "Popular" has the following lines:
Please--it's all about popular!

It's not about aptitude

It's the way you're viewed

So it's very shrewd to be 

Very very popular.

What I find to be difficult is that, as a Christian, we are called to follow the unpopular path of Jesus. We all strive to feel included, but following Christ might, on the surface, make it appear that nobody cares. What we all must realize, though, is that the love of God is all encompassing and much more important than the love of man. When put in perspective, having the everlasting God on my side is much more important than gaining favor with fallen humanity. People are not dependable and their opinions are skewed, so being popular in their eyes is not a good goal to strive towards. Instead, it is important to focus on the words found in John 15:18-21, which say,  "'If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: "A servant is not greater than his master." If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.'"

Instead of walking around in a despondent fashion because the world does not seem to understand you, it is better to embrace the role of the outcast. If Christ was hated, then it makes perfect sense that you and I will be hated by the world for promoting the Good News. Life as an outcast can be quite frustrating, so it is again important to focus on Scripture in order to be reminded of the eternal goal you are working towards. Colossians 3:23-24 serves as a good remember because it states, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Our goal is to glorify God and do His will so that we receive our reward in heaven, which is priceless compared to any earthly reward. Matthew 5:11-12 also reminds us about our heavenly reward ~  "'Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." 

It is a blessing to be insulted for following the path of Christ and not something to be downtrodden over. We must remember that being a Christian puts us on the same plain as our Master, which puts us out of favor with society. This means that life as an outcast is inevitable, and should be embraced and accepted, even if you yearn for acceptance. By accepting Christ in your heart and having faith in the Gospel, you gain God's favor, which trumps the acceptance of any human being. No human can provide you a spot in heaven, along with everlasting life, but God can do all of this for you.

I will leave you all with one last thought. Being a Christian not only provides you the life of an outcast, but it also paves the road for enemies to come into your life to try and tear you down. Your response to those who persecute you can illuminate where you are in your walk with Christ. Instead of stooping to the level of your enemies and hating them as they hate you, meditate on this verse from Matthew 5:44-46 ~ "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?" Loving your enemies can help to further glorify God and could help turn some skeptics towards Him if they begin to wonder why a social outcast can be so accepting of both their role and those who persecute them.