the measure of life
Hello friend! Welcome to the blog!
I hope that you have had an amazing week so far! Y’all, how are we doing today? I don’t know about you but I am full of the joy of the Lord today! I am full of the joy of Abba! And I am so excited for today, I love you guys and can’t wait to continue our little Bible study! Y’all I am just literally obsessed with the Word of God- the Bible ok. It legit changed my life- once I started to read the Bible every day is when I started to have a real relationship with the Lord. So, today, we are going to read our Bibles together! If you read the last blog post, we started to read Luke 12 and we did not finish the chapter because it is legit so good, and I really feel like the Lord wants us to continue! It has so much more gold! I don’t know if we are going to finish the whole chapter, we’re gonna find out! You can dive into it in your own quiet time with Abba! As a reminder, I am reading out of the NLT translation! We are going to be picking back up where we left off; so Luke chapter 12, verse 13! (And as a little refresher, Jesus is preaching to a group of thousands of people in this chapter!)
“Then someone called from the crowd, ‘Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.’
Jesus replied, ‘Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?’ Then He said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’”
Ok, Jesus just ate with that. (He always does :) ) I have chills. Let’s keep going.
“Then He told them a story: ‘A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then, I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, ‘My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Wow. Just wow.
Life isn’t measured by how much we own. It isn’t measured by how famous we become, how much money we have, how many accomplishments we accumulate. It is measured by how rich our relationship with God is. True success and fulfillment comes from how many times you say YES to God. A life of true meaning is found in remaining and abiding in Christ- spending every moment giving Him glory and seeking Him more and more. It is found in stepping out in faith, trusting the Lord, and being fully surrendered and reliant on Him. It is found serving the people around you; loving them like Jesus loves them, and sharing the Gospel with them. And the reality is, we could all die tomorrow. Yes, we could. But tomorrow isn’t promised, and the fact that we woke up this morning with breath in our lungs is a gift from the Lord! So, when you die, are you going to have treasures stored up for you in heaven? Fitting in now, having all the earthly stuff and pleasures now, isn’t worth it. Those things aren’t going to come with you into heaven. The only thing you could ever have that is everlasting, is a relationship with God. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be like the farmer in Jesus’ story- striving to obtain earthly wealth and pleasure, thinking that will satisfy him. The things of this world will not make you truly rich, only a relationship with Jesus will. And yes, that does look different from the world’s standards. The world will try to tell us over and over again, that we need all these earthly riches and pleasures to be complete, to be loved, to fit in, to do all the things we want to do. But that is just not true! If you have a rich relationship with God, you will be “complete and lacking in nothing.” (latter part of James 1:4). You are “complete through your union with Christ.” (Colossians 2:10) Don’t become jealous, discontented, or distracted. Focus on storing up eternal treasures, and living a life of true meaning. Cause we can be earthly rich, but spiritually poor.
I am not saying that you can’t have stuff though. It is ok to have stuff! It is ok to work hard, earn money, be responsible and wise with it, and treat yourself from time to time! We just can’t let the stuff have us! (My pastor says that all the time: “You can have the stuff, but don’t let the stuff have you!”) I’m just saying to not seek the stuff above the Lord!
Ok, let’s continue with verse 22!
“Then, turning to His disciples, Jesus said, ‘That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life- whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? Look at the Lillies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and He will give you everything you need. So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”
I just am so obsessed with Jesus. I am sooooo obsessed with HIM!!! You guys, He is literally so amazing. He is the best! Wow, ok thank you Jesus this is so good.
Y’all don’t worry about anything. Literally- you don’t have to worry about ANYTHING!! Your life is so precious, don’t spend your time and don’t give your energy to worry and anxiety! God has so much better for you, worry and anxiousness is not your portion! God is your Abba, and He is taking care of you! And He loves to Father you! You are not a burden to Him, He actually wants you to come to Him with your burdens! Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Come to Jesus, give Him your burdens, and He promises to give you peace and rest. He is taking care of You. He says to not be afraid and lean on Him. Have faith in your Abba! Don’t let unbelief fill your mind! God is FAITHFUL, and He always keeps Him promises! So, if you are feeling burdened or anxious today and struggling to have faith, come to Abba and let Him comfort you! Get in the secret place and renew your mind in Him! And He will come and Father you, for it “gives Him great happiness to give you the Kingdom.”
Now, we are in verse 33!
“Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”
This connects to where we started! Storing up our treasures in heaven! What also does that is helping those in need! Ya’ll this life isn’t all about us! And Jesus doesn’t save us only for us! He saves us so we can help reach the people around us too! Yes growing in our relationship with God is important, but let’s also be looking outward to the people around us who we can serve! Jesus came to earth to serve others, so let’s do the same! (Matthew 20:28)
This verse also shows us how crucial it is to store our treasures in heaven, because wherever our treasure is determines where our heart is. Let’s keep God on the throne of our hearts! He deserves that place, we need Him on the place. And when He is, is when we can have a meaningful life. Not because of anything we did or could ever do, but all because of Him.
Ok, let’s end with this portion of Luke 12: (starting back in verse 35)
“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will be reward the servants who are ready.”
I want to be a servant of the Lord who is ready! I want to keep the fire lit inside my heart and my lamp burning for Jesus- every single day. I want to let my passion for Jesus show, and always be dressed and ready for the work the Lord has for me. Let’s all be ready servants of the Lord- Jesus is coming back- we don’t know when- but I want to be ready at all times for His return! I want to live in a way where I don’t waste any time, because, I don’t know how much time I will have left. Let’s be ready for the Lord’s coming, with eternal treasures waiting for us, and a rich relationship with Abba accompanying us.
Thank you so much for reading friend! I pray that this blog post was fruitful for you! And y’all can we do something really important this week? Let’s show someone how amazing Jesus is! Let’s live like Jesus, let’s abide in Jesus, and grow closer to Him! I love y’all so much, and Jesus loves you more!
