The Things That Truly Matter

As part of my devotions on YouVersion the other week I was reminded that I (like so many of us I’m sure) need to focus my life on the things that truly matter.

You’d think that for the likes of me who is navigating life with a chronic illness that that would be obvious.

But the thing is, our priorities can get out of whack and we start doing a myriad of stuff that all to often can become all encompassing.

Then, in amongst the busyness of life we start missing out on the things that truly matter in life.

And it may also sound obvious to say that our words matter (not just the ones that come out of our mouths) – but I’m not convinced that we really believe that. All we need to do is look at some of the comments on the various social media platforms that our Christian friends like and share and we can be left wondering if their faith is just skin deep. Their comments especially from time to time can come across quite condescending, disruptive and even aggressive in some cases – I’m sure this is not the way that Jesus would have us live our lives ‘online’, let alone in person.

Now, I say all this because we can spend a lot of time talking about (posting, commenting, and / or liking) things that don’t matter. Some of us love to talk about sports, in fact, some of us have passionate conversations about sports every day. Others constantly complain about people or how busy they are. Then there’s that parent that will never shut up about their perfect kids!

In Luke 6, Jesus says that the mouth says what the heart feels. In other words… we talk about the things that matter to us.

“The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.“
Luke 6:45 (The Voice)

Think about it this way; if someone were to meticulously track your words and chart the subject matter that you like to talk about (both in person and online), what would be revealed that matters to you?

Would it be gossip?

Would it be small talk about the weather, sports, family, or your work?

Would the conversations revolve around you, your problems, opinions, wants, needs and / or desires?

Where would Jesus, faith, church and God’s mission rank in the subjects that matter to you?

Perhaps, that is an unfair way to think about it. Perhaps, just because many us don’t talk about Jesus or our faith as much as we should; well, that doesn’t mean those things don’t matter to us. Fair enough! If we love Jesus, but struggle to talk about him then I must conclude that we simply lack the courage to talk about what matters most to us!

For many of us I believe it’s fair to say that Jesus needs a little more volume in our lives. He shouldn’t be a rare sighting in our public life!

There’s a story in Acts where Peter and John are told to quit talking about Jesus and they respond by proclaiming that they can’t quit talking about what they’ve seen and heard!

“As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20 (New International Version)

There are many times in life where courage is required to speak! Some of our greatest potential lies within the power of our words – they have the power of life and death. (This is something that I wrote about a couple of years ago)

So, will you have the courage to speak about the things that truly matter?

The thing is, how can we pursue what matters most?

The apostle Paul, in the book of Romans, begs Christians to give their entire lives over to God because God sacrificed everything for them. He writes:

“So I beg you, brothers and sisters, because of the great mercy God has shown us, offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him – an offering that is only for God and pleasing to him. Considering what he has done, it is only right that you should worship him in this way. Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. Then you will be able to understand and accept what God wants for you. You will be able to know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect.“
Romans 12:1-2 (Easy-to-Read Version)

Paul had recognised that Jesus had given His life so that we could experience God’s compassion, His kindness, His forgiveness, His unending love and grace, and so much more – and these extremely special gifts are given freely to us when we accept Jesus into our hearts and minds, and desire to follow Him. And we cheapen these gifts if we refuse to align our lives with the way that He would have us live it.

You see, we give our lives to God by making Him the one thing we pursue above anything else.

So here are 5 steps that you and I can practice – right now – to help us each put God first and pursue what matters most:

• GIVE THANKS – “We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.”
  Psalms 75:1 (English Standard Version)
  
  Right now, take a moment to thank God for what He’s already done for you. Reflect on His faithfulness, and recount the stories you have seen and heard of His wonderful power.

• SPEND 5 MINUTES IN SILENCE – “Abide in me, and I will abide in you.” 
  John 15:4 (The Voice)
  
  Abiding in Jesus starts with stillness. So right now, pause, take a deep breath, and give anything concerning you over to God. Spend 5 minutes centering your heart on the One who matters most.

• REMEMBER WHOSE YOU ARE – “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God.” 
  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (New International Version)
  
  God loves you. The price He paid for you cost Him everything. So remind yourself of whose you are, and reflect on some of the things God says about you.

• MEDITATE ON GOD’S WORD – “Oh, how I love your teachings! I talk about them all the time.”
  Psalms 119:97 (Easy-to-Read Version)
  
  One of the best ways to find out how Jesus wants you to live is by spending time in Scripture. As you do, ask God to speak to you through His Word about what His will is.

• FOCUS ON WHAT IS EXCELLENT – “If anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on theses things.” 
  Philippians 4:8 (Common English Version)
  
  You have been given the mind of Christ. If you’re not sure what you should think about, try asking yourself: What is praiseworthy? What thoughts and actions would honor God? Make a list of whatever comes to mind, and pursue those things.

By practicing the above steps every day, you and I can create habits that will help us pursue greater intimacy with God and put Him first above everything else.

The team at Spiramentum Ministries have recognised that we can all get busy doing a myriad of stuff in our lives, some of which is exhilarating and uplifting. While there are also times when it seems as if that same stuff is draining the very life out of us.

When we become so busy that we start to lose sight of the things that matter we can also start missing out on those things that bring us joy.

We’ve also become increasingly aware that every week, month and year we each need to take time out of our busy schedules to rest, relax, refocus, and rejuvenate our bodies, minds and souls.

Therefore, we aim to assist people to focus on creating time and space in their lives to breathe. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, get in touch with us through Facebook, LinkedIn, or via email: perry.pacpe@gmail.com

Blessings ’til next time 🙂

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Grace: A gift that we don’t deserve

As I’ve shared previously, over the past month or so as part of my daily devotions in the YouVersion Bible App I’ve been journeying through the Book of Psalms, drawing inspiration and encouragement for my own life from the writings authors.

Although I am still not even ⅔rds of the way through them, I’ve come to appreciate that the Psalms are in essence an intricately designed collection of poetry that recounts Israel’s history and God’s covenant promises, and poetically retells the entire biblical story.

A few weeks ago I was reading Psalm 44 in the Passion translation and was struck by the way that they have framed and then formatted the psalm:

frame – Wake Up, Lord, We’re in Trouble.
format – The Past, The Present, The Future.

This Psalm touches on the importance of God’s grace and His mercy and although these two aspects of His persona are often used interchangeably throughout the Bible, they differ in many ways. They are intrinsically linked in essence much like two sides of the same coin. Grace being the gift that we don’t deserve, while mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve.

Sounds a little confusing right! But the thing is as we read in Romans 3:23-24a;

“everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight.”

(New Living Translation)

We will all be judged on how we live this life that we are gifted with, one way or another (in spite of our religious beliefs). And none of us regardless what we have done or what we are going to do will ever measure up to His standard – We will have to give an account for our past, our present and those things that we do in the future.

Yet through it all God through His grace will make us right in His sight 🙂

You see, grace is the gift we don’t deserve and the one which we couldn’t earn by your own merit. It’s like a lotion that smooths cracked skin, or a deep rain after a long dry season. It’s the comfort of a warm beverage, a best friend when you’re lonely, or a soul healing hug when you feel sad.

Grace fills in all the rough parts of our lives and makes us whole and God sees you through a lens of grace. When you see yourself as less, God sees you as more. When you don’t feel like you are enough, God wraps you in grace and sees you as worthy.

Ephesians 4:7 says that “to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”
(New International Version)

He loved you and I so much that Jesus was willing to cover our sins in the grace of His blood and gave us each a seat at His table. When we struggle with identity, we can be confident that God’s grace will catch us.

We are all recipients of God’s grace despite having sinned over and over again, He has shown us kindness and compassion. He even sent his only son so all of us can be saved – an act of grace that we do not deserve.

You see, there is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make Him love you less. This undeserved gift, God’s grace, is simply yours if you choose to believe in His Son who loves you!

He doesn’t see you and I through the lens of our sin, He sees us through the lens of His grace, and when we accept His grace, we begin to grow in His love.

“So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 (The Living Bible)

As I’ve spent some time thinking through my own past, present and future over the past few weeks – I’ve recognised some things that have happened in my life in the past that I’m ashamed of, and other things that I am extremely grateful for.

There are even some things that have happened where all I can put them down to is that God miraculously intervened, even if and when I didn’t want to know or acknowledge His leading in my life.

There are times in my present that even though I have a reasonably strong faith (or so I’d like to believe) I cast it aside from time to time and try to work things out on my own and in my own way, rather than seeking His love and guidance, His mercy and grace.

And no doubt unfortunately there will be times in the future where that will remain to be the case, because I am merely human and tend to fall back into what is the known rather than relying on the unknown.

I pray though that those times will become less and less as I learn to rely on Him and trust in His mercy and grace.

So, what about you? What would trusting in His grace and mercy look like in your life? Where do you notice God’s grace in action? Have you noticed His mercy? When you fully consider the magnitude of this gift, how do you respond?

Maybe you’d like to pray the following prayer: “God of grace, thank You that when I was lost, You found me and when I was ashamed You forgave me, nailing the accusations against me to the cross.” Referencing Colossians 2:13-14
(New International Version)

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