the workplace is the wilderness. you think college is tough? the real world is a harsh, cruel place. especially in the places where there's stiff competition and everyone is hustlin to make ends meet....its a dog eat dog world and its SO easy to lose yourself in the midst of it all.
and i almost did lose myself out there. working so many hours and looking towards a PAYCHECK that i thought could give me temporary relief and happiness.
but thank God that i was reminded tonight of the simple things in life. knowing Jesus, living for Him, and living out the blessing that he has blessed me with.
my testimony throughout the summer has been knowing and experiencing Ephesians 2:8 in my heart. that it is the gift of God, it is by Grace that i have been saved. not by anything i did, but by what He did for me.
but working that job...doing the daily grind almost had me forget about all that. i suddenly thought about getting a fat paycheck, paying my dues like tithing and missions support...but then going out and buying things, and saving up for things like a new car and such.
but philippians 3 spoke to me tonight. these verses really stuck out to me the most:
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
these worldy things..are all rubbish. rubbish, garbage, Paul calls it. and here i was, almost thinking that it was those things that i should live for. i should want to know Christ and his power and his fellowship.
all this came from listening to the new chris tomlin album, speaking to various people online, and just looking up random bible verses on google. who says God doesnt work spontaneously? haha
but seriously...it couldn't have come at a better moment. i suddenly feel so energized and re-motivated that this life i am living is temporary. i, we, are all aliens in this foreign land. we have an eternal home in heaven to look forward to. so we should live our lives to reflect that.
we are
supremely blessed to have a savior such as Jesus. to know him and be saved. but it is thus our responsibility to share that blessing with others. it isnt ours to hoarde.
thank you Lord, for reminding me of this truth tonight.
its a wilderness out there. i hope noone finds themself lost in it.
Comments (3)
i think you were still looking for a job the last time we spoke. well congratulations on your current occupation.
sigh, i was one of those people who forgot to tithe once and spent her paycheck on rubbish. I think I shall repay God this weekend at church. I had put my guilt in the past but your entry pulled it outta me. Thanks! haha
Best of luck in everything and keep your spirits up sokin!
that's so true... it also happens while you're in college. you're so caught up with your studies and you place all your focus on obtaining that A but then God smacks you on the head and asks what a A is going to do for you in eternity. the stuff we lose ourselves in is so worldly and useless but yet we hold onto them. but like you said, knowing Jesus, and living for Him is what our life purpose is. thanks for reminding me of that! hope your job is going well~! hope God can show you how you can glorify Him through it =)
HALLO! i read your entry finally! It reminds me so much of the book of Ecclesiastes." 'MEANINGLESS! MEANINGLESS!' says the Teacher. 'Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!' " i always imagine a man smoking a pipe and wearing some sort of philosophers robe when saying that....i dont know why, but i do. well anyways, thanks for sharing such a refreshing truth! I think it really encouraged many people, even the people who read it and didnt comment (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!) well anyhoots, it really encouraged me too especially tonight now that my "retreat" is over. share more often!