What does matter?

"For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns." -Philippians 1:10

So what does really matter?

Christ. (period!). This is what our lives business needs to be about DAILY (hourly, minute by minute). We must submit our thoughts, actions, words every minute to God's authority "so that we may live pure and blameless lives".

We stay so busy in our day to day lives. We rush from one thing to another, making sure all our I's are dotted and T's are crossed. We think this is what a good Christian would do. But we have taken the word of God and squashed it! We make it fit into our daily schedules, maybe spending 20 minutes reading His word, but then not applying the principles to our every thought and every decision and every action. In turn we squash the power of God himself and his ability to be Lord over our lives... all because we are too busy with our own schedules.

I realized this yesterday in my own life. Yes, I am spending time in God's word each and every day. I come away from my quiet time with a "feel good" kind of feeling. I made a list of things that are pleasing to the Lord and things that aren't pleasing to the Lord. On the list of things that aren't was anger. I had just finished by quiet time and walked out the door only to have a muddy dog jump up on my clean shorts. My reaction......anger at the dog for getting me dirty.

Most people would tell me I was justified in getting angry at the dog, but was I? Really, all it was was an inconvenience to me that he got me dirty. So in reality, it doesn't really matter. "Understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives...".

May we realize our sin and how wretched we are. On our own we are nothing and can do nothing of lasting importance. We need God to save us from our pit of despair. We need God daily, hourly, minute by minute. Not just when he fits into our schedules. May we take the word of God and uplift it to the absolute authority in our lives, so that we don't squash the power of God, but rejoice in it and the things that he is working out in us!

May I not view the word of God as a guidebook on how to live a better life or how to be a good wife. But that I can see it as the powerful tool that it is and to realize that it's pages are filled with the words of the soveriegn GOD. How grateful we need to be the God chose to communicate with us (wretched sinners) through this book. May we not squash it's power! May we realize "what really matters".