On the Edge of Eternity

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.  But each one should be careful how he builds.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light.  It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  If what is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames." 1 Corinthians 3:10-15

     I just attended a memorial service just a little bit ago and this has always been a thing that is in my mind: what is the most important, what really matters in this life?  This particular service was for a woman named Mary who, at three days old concocted meningitis and resulted in a form of cerebral paulsy for her life.  At first glance, you would like to say that she was limited by her sickness.  Her family would argue the opposite, I would argue the opposite without knowing her well at all.  From our own earthly perspective we can say that she wasn't very succesful, and her life didn't "amount" to much, but that is where we are dead wrong.  In that view, we place money and possessions as highest priority for what causes us to really "live."  How far we have fallen!  Why cling to things that when time has its way, moth and rust destroy them?  Material things don't last in our lives and we see that in cases where bankruptcy or where the stock market crashes, money is as unstable as a foundation made out of a pile of sticks.  From the testimony of many family and friends, Mary was rich, not in earthly possessions, but rich in love and in relationships.  Though being as limited as she was, she had more than the wealthiest kings or the founder of Apple (not to say he doesn't know Christ, or know love... just pointing out that material possessions really don't mean anything).  Here's the rub, we understand that money helps us to live, and that it can be quite necessary in times of our lives, but it should never be the centerpoint, the meaning of why we live.  Why live for something that can disappear in a breath?
    Recently, God has been taking me through the book of Hosea.  It's an interesting one, God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and to "love her like the Lord your God loves Israel."  Paired with some reading of A.W. Tozer's book "The Pursuit of God," God has been speaking a lot to me.  Inside the heart of man is a throne, and only one of two things can take residency on the throne of our hearts: God or things that God created.  Simple enough, I though, until God started to speak to me.  He began showing me areas that I had began to squeeze Him off of the throne and replace it with "things;" it went from relationships with people, to issues I've been having with myself and past struggles.  Regardless of what it was, it was an idol, something detestable in God's sight, and should be the same in mine.  (I understand that the "things" are not bad things necessarily, but once they start to push God off of the throne, there should be major cause for concern.)  Soon there can be opportunity to condemn myself and say, "Jordan you idiot!", but kicking myself in the butt doesn't get me anywhere and just digs me a deeper hole.  So, I've began to say, "God, take these things off of the throne!  You are Lord of me, Lord of all and only You are worthy of that place in my heart.  All things bow to you and nothing You created should ever take that place in my heart." 
     And now, we come to where I am now: what really matters?  Relationships.  The basics.  All things that are truly important can be summed up in relationships; nobody at the end of their life wants to be surrounded by their "things" but rather by the people who are most important to them.  Take a look at the 10 Commandments really quick.  The first four pertain to our relationship with God.  The last six correlate with our relationships towards people.  If all the 10 prime laws in the OT were all about relationships, doesn't that tell you what matters?  Loving God, loving people; all the Law and the Prophets are summed up in that one commandment (if you didn't know, Jesus said that).  If you're feeling convicted by this, I know am, it's not a bad thing,  God is showing you things that you need to give over to Him.  The reason God pokes areas in our hearts that need to be given over to Him is because He knows best and that if we continue to hold on to whatever it may be, it will kill us.  There's always reason in why God says, "Give it to Me."  Many things we carry and pursuits we put on ourselves are things that God never intended for us to carry them.  The pursuit of God is the ultimate adventure, and the only true pleasure for us.  Run after Him.