Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Friday, December 03, 2004
Have you ever gone through your life and just felt like there should be...
...more?
More than the normal day at school?
More than the normal classes?
More than the normal interaction with the coach/band leader/extracurricular sponsor?
More than the day-in, day-out interaction with friends?
More than the day-in, day-out interaction with parents?
More than the few bucks you made at work?
More than the boyfriend/girlfriend?
Even worse, have you ever gone through your life and felt like YOU should be...
...more?
I have. I do. I am. I will again.
And I've found the cause of that to be a loss of purpose. I fail to understand my place in the universe. I begin to focus on myself. The things I have to do. The pressures I face. The humdrum stuff begins to take priority. I lose focus.
Notice how many times I used "I" in that sequence.
And how would you feel if, in those myopic moments, Jesus Christ Himself mentioned it? Out loud. In front of your peer group.
That's what happened in Matthew 5 (doesn't it always seem to come back to this chapter?), verse 13--16:
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp, and put it under a peck-measure, but on a lampstand; and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who isin heaven."
This follows a section in which Jesus was talking to the multitudes who came out to hear what Jesus had to say. They were expecting a speech from a revolutionary leader...and maybe expecting some sort of address in which the Messiah would announce that it was time to usher in His Kingdom, and the first order of business might be to overthrow the Roman occupying government.
What they got was a "blessing" of all the wrong people in verses 3--12. The meek. The gentle. The mourners. They'd probably been disappointed...and if you notice, all those qualities were "inward" in their focus. Those are all qualities in which the inner self is focused on God.
In short, Jesus told them that Israel was supposed to be one thing, and they were doing a lousy job of it. In fact, the Kingdom will come, just not in the way you think. And, by the way, you're going to have to change a lot. See verses 13 and 14. They're code for "you're not being what you're supposed to be."
Then in verse 16, we see that these inner realities are supposed to have outward results: The glory of God.
The light of the world.
The salt of the earth.
We have a purpose here in this world:
To let inner realities become outward results so those that don't believe will see our lives, and know that God is at work in us and through us.
So...if you're feeling like your life should be...
...MORE...
...remember that you are here to give glory to God.
That's your purpose. Salt & Light...wherever you are, in whatever you're doing...it should have eternal meaning.
How can there be anything MORE than that? So, let's find ways today to glorify God in the moment-by-moment of our lives, okay?
Brent 4:06 AM
Comments:
Just thought that I would say that even though we don't post very often, there are many people who read this on a regular basis....And we love it. Thanks Brent.
I am always getting bored of life and I agrre that it is a matter of losing sight of our purpose here to glorify God. I am thankful that we have something to live towards as well. Without God I don't know where I would be.
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