My husband and I are redecorating our living room. The colours we choose must be coordinated, the fabrics must complement one another, and the overall effect must be both pleasing to the eye and make our friends feel comfortable.
As we tried to decide on a colour for the walls from an assortment of paint chips, I was struck with the thought that life is a series of choices. We choose those things which will give us what we want most from life.
Many people want, first of all, to be rich--or at least, to have the things money can buy. They want a nice home, a new car, and fine clothes. They would like to be able to enjoy all the luxuries of life.
Such a value-system has, of course, no place in the life of a Christian, but many so-called Christians do put top priority on material possessions and pleasures. Jesus said, "Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33).
A decision to put the things of God first and worldly things second is essential for the Christian, yet this seems to be one of the most difficult areas of the Christian walk. We are constantly tempted to buy more and more, and better and better, while what we had in the first place was really quite adequate. Each choice, of course, must be a personal decision which each of us must make. It is not so much the money and the things it can buy which are so dangerous, it is our LOVE of the money! The Bible tells us: "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil" (I Tim.6:10).
What are the things we would choose from life if we wish to follow Jesus?
The Bible makes it very clear throughout that the condition of our heart is Jesus' chief concern. Every one of us moves toward death and can do nothing to reverse it. Of what concern will it be to us 100 years from now if we should become wealthy or gain an important position? The condition of our heart will, however, make a difference in our eternal destiny!
The condition of our heart is important in relation to Jesus. Have we agreed to be His follower for the rest of our lives as His disciples did? Have we repented of our sin and asked Him to give us a new life? These are the things He wants each of us to do. Christians say this experience gives them their B.A. degree (Born Again). In matters of the heart, we get the B.A. first and then our spiritual education. This is the reverse of the worldly way when we get the education first and end up with our B.A. (Bachelor of Arts) degree.
When we have given our hearts to Jesus, the next step is spiritual education. Knowledge of the Bible is necessary but won't, of itself, give us a pure heart before Him. This is something at which we must work. We must ask for His help and direction. We must obey His laws given to us through the law to become conscious of sin (Rom.3:20) and learn to overcome it. We need to become a holy and righteous people before God. It is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous (Rom.2:13)
Too many of us have considered because we are Christians and Jesus died for us, that our sin is covered and therefore we can do what we like. Today, however, Jesus is trying to purify His church, to make us His pure Bride (Eph.5:27). We must obey His laws!
In John's vision, Jesus said, "to him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna" (Rev.2:17). All we, as Christians, need to do is look to heaven and choose the manna we wish--that is, the spiritual direction we wish to take. "Ask and you will receive" (John 16:24). He loves to give good gifts to His children. When we choose the clean heart, He then gives to us material blessings also.
When we are deciding what we want from life, left us be smart and choose the things which will last forever!
© 1999, Doreen Palmer