All Things 2

Ever play with binoculars? I don’t know what it is about them but they’re the kind of thing that once you pick them up, it’s an amazing engagement. Inevitably, you end up turning them around to look through them backwards. It’s just as fascinating seeing how clear and tiny everything is.

Let's step back from it all and take a magnified look at wanting and having. They’re such wide and weighty concepts. Even as we face every day, we assess (and stress about) our situations by what we have and/or what we want. We may have a good job, but who doesn’t have an idea of a dream job that they'd LOVE, or maybe just less hassle? We may want to stay in bed but we have to get up and give ourselves to the requirements of the day.

I wouldn’t try to blindly qualify wanting and having as bad or good. It’s just a natural part of life.
I do, however, believe that the single most valuable benefit of wanting and having is how it brings clarity in identifying our focus and shows us which way we’re holding the binoculars. You may want new running shoes if your focus is continuing to exercise comfortably or preparing for just to match a cute outfit. You may want a job that pays more because you feel that dull, yet persistently annoying nag of student loans, or you just want to travel more. Maybe you want that job because you have a heart for those starving in desperate situations and $30 bucks a month can provide at least some relief.
Examples and motivations grow exponentially and the best thing to do in light of all of that possibility is to simply look in the mirror and examine ourselves. What do I have, what do I want and why is it significant to me? What's big to me, and what's smaller? How am I holding my binoculars?

One of the most memorable passages in The Bible, Psalm 23, opens with “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Is this saying that my daily wanting and having is bad? The better question is Is my wanting and having properly focused? And the real purpose of this verse is focusing us toward The Good Shepherd.
There are many other verses that encourage us to train our eyes to Christ as Our Provider. God is not insensitive to our daily needs. This thinking comes easy, but what if we take that a step further? What priority do we give to our focus and desires for Spiritual things? Instead of staying in a place of want, even looking to Christ, Who will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory (Phil 4:19) – what if we simply saw the truth.

Biblically if we are His, when it comes to Spiritual things, we can change Provider to provided, past tense. Christ has purchased our salvation. He has given us the Spirit of power, love and a sound mind. He has called us with a holy calling and He’s given us eternal life. It is finished. But if our binoculars are turned around to see the smaller stuff as bigger - If our focus stays on the world, we will never be satisfied. The wanting will continue. If we are able to focus on Christ, although our sanctification continues, the needs by which it continues are all, already present, just for you.

Here’s The Word:

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

1 Corinthians 3:21-23 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.

When I was younger, I remember how confused I was about “whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” this verbiage is repeated in all four gospels and from the looks of it, Jesus actually said it on more than one occasion. But I think it’s becoming clearer. We’ve put little things in big places which only leaves little places for the big things.
This is not implying a total disregard or even a heartless denial of the little things. They have importance and merit and the lack of them can surely affect us in grievous ways. Just as serving people in need and providing these things do a world of good and prove our hearts of compassion. Remember, its about focus.
In light of eternal truth, what here is worth boasting about; nice cars, trips, jobs, notoriety, or even paid off student loans? As nice as they are, they’re the small things. Christ is the Big thing, and you are Christ’s and Christ is God’s and in that view, you don’t lack one single, solitary thing. It’s all your’s.


In Him,
Cros