All the redeemed washed by His blood
Come and rejoice in His great love
O praise Him! Allelujah!
Christ has defeated every sin
Cast all your burdens now on Him
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
every good thing
Hello, February.
So there's this job that I started about 3 weeks ago, that I'm so, so, so incredibly thankful for. Maybe it's not even the job itself, and more so the fact that I just like working in general. But whatever the case, I am really thankful that I have a fun job where I get to learn a bunch of things and work with cool people. And then there's the church and all of the blessings associated with that! New things are happening and some more change is coming, but I'm excited to see what God will do, and how He will create and continue to grow fantastic relationships. Oh, I bought my first pair of expensive work shoes (totally worth it).
At the same time... I've been challenged by a chapter in Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship book called "Single-Minded Obedience." It starts off with Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler who, though he "kept" all the commandments and expected eternal life as a reward for his good deeds, walks away sad because he cannot part with his wealth. Bonhoeffer says the point is not that we must sell all our possessions (lest someone prides themselves in an ascetic lifestyle or "gives allegiance to himself and to an ideal"), but to live as if we had no possessions so that it is no consequence to us whether we have wealth or not. We must have a sort of "inward detachment" to the world and instead be wholeheartedly fixated on Christ.
At first glance, it kind of feels like those two concepts are in opposition with one another. Enjoy the nice things in life... but don't enjoy them too much. But really, being thankful and prioritizing Christ go hand in hand.
I believe that James 1:17 ("Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above.") is kind of like the "glue" that holds the two ideas together. When we know that we will not always have things (possessions, jobs, relationships, health), we are more thankful to God when we have them. But prioritizing Christ protects us from idolatry because our greatest need and desire has already been fulfilled, to an extent way beyond our expectations, that we no longer need to cling to our earthly treasures.
So there's this job that I started about 3 weeks ago, that I'm so, so, so incredibly thankful for. Maybe it's not even the job itself, and more so the fact that I just like working in general. But whatever the case, I am really thankful that I have a fun job where I get to learn a bunch of things and work with cool people. And then there's the church and all of the blessings associated with that! New things are happening and some more change is coming, but I'm excited to see what God will do, and how He will create and continue to grow fantastic relationships. Oh, I bought my first pair of expensive work shoes (totally worth it).
At the same time... I've been challenged by a chapter in Bonhoeffer's Cost of Discipleship book called "Single-Minded Obedience." It starts off with Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler who, though he "kept" all the commandments and expected eternal life as a reward for his good deeds, walks away sad because he cannot part with his wealth. Bonhoeffer says the point is not that we must sell all our possessions (lest someone prides themselves in an ascetic lifestyle or "gives allegiance to himself and to an ideal"), but to live as if we had no possessions so that it is no consequence to us whether we have wealth or not. We must have a sort of "inward detachment" to the world and instead be wholeheartedly fixated on Christ.
At first glance, it kind of feels like those two concepts are in opposition with one another. Enjoy the nice things in life... but don't enjoy them too much. But really, being thankful and prioritizing Christ go hand in hand.
I believe that James 1:17 ("Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above.") is kind of like the "glue" that holds the two ideas together. When we know that we will not always have things (possessions, jobs, relationships, health), we are more thankful to God when we have them. But prioritizing Christ protects us from idolatry because our greatest need and desire has already been fulfilled, to an extent way beyond our expectations, that we no longer need to cling to our earthly treasures.
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