Jesus is life

It seems like every commercial has the same basic idea: Buy our product and your life will be richer. Whether it’s an electronic device, a car, clothing, or an alcoholic beverage, we are told that this item will make our life better.

While I believe the claim is often exaggerated, it is true that many of these items can help with some aspect of our lives. Electronic devices can help us be more organized or communicate more effectively. Some cars are better built than others. We all need clothes. Alcoholic beverages? Well, I am the most suspect of this one. Will drinking a Bud Light really help me get all the pretty girls? Most of the time, I have witnessed a different story.

We could spend all day debating the value of all of the products above and we would have a variety of opinions. But there is one thing I hope we could all agree on. None of these things bring us a life abundant in peace, joy, and love.

In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Here’s the irony. Most of the things that the world tells us will give us life to the full can lead to destruction. In and of themselves, they won’t. But when we begin to allow them to take the place of God as the ultimate source of fulfillment, they will let us down.

I often see these shirts that say, “______ is life. The rest is just details.” Fill in the blank for your life. I honestly think we often fail to consider the implications of what we say. I am guessing if you asked most of the people who wear these shirts, they would say something like, “Well, I don’t really mean that, but I really like _____.”

The unfortunate thing is that whether we bought the T-shirt or not, many of us flirt with a philosophy of life that reflects what the shirt says. We find something we are passionate about and build our self-worth, satisfaction, and significance around that thing. We place that thing ahead of the Kingdom of God.

Here is the challenging part. We can’t simply abandon the things we enjoy and spend all day sitting in church and reading our Bibles. God calls us to serve as ambassadors of the Kingdom. But we have to ask ourselves what dictates how we live our lives.

If our pursuits are directed towards ultimately finding our value in something other than God and the Kingdom, we will always fall short. We will keep chasing something to fulfill us. This is why marketing is so successful. Companies have discovered that we all long for something more and so they develop slick advertising to convince us that their thing is THE thing that will solve that.

The reality is that only one thing, and one Person, can cure your hunger for more. As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

A life well lived will include some of the things of this world. God hopes for us to have a life filled with joy and peace. But when we allow Satan to convince us that the things God has given us are more important than God, we will buy into the lie and miss out on the full life that God desires and promises for his children.

 

shine!
Jason