Shifting Our Criteria

When hit with the realization that life is short, people tend to do one of two things: They start living with more purpose and intentionality in order to make the most of their days, or they start living more recklessly and without care because they are overcome with a sense of hopelessness and fear of death. Isaiah 2:22 says, “Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (NIV). This puts our lives into perspective. The only thing we have right now is the breath in our nostrils. The next breath isn’t guaranteed.  And yet, we spend our entire lives building our own empire that will turn to dust, just like we will one day. We spend our lives building riches, amassing stuff, creating a name for ourselves, and accumulating accolades from “important” people. Those of us who may prefer a quieter lifestyle still often get caught up in this life by working hard to surround ourselves with as much physical comforts as possible. But when we return to dust, all of these efforts will be in vain. There is a line in the song “All Glory be to Christ” by Dustin Kensrue that says, “Should nothing of our efforts stand, no legacy survive, unless the Lord does raise the house, in vain its builders strive. To you who boast tomorrow’s gain, tell me, what is your life? A mist that vanishes at dawn, all glory be to Christ.” The irony is that this song is sung to the tune of Auld Lang Syne, which is often sung for New Year’s Eve—when we celebrate what tomorrow brings. We spend our efforts building a life that lasts as long as we do, but it’s all in vain if it isn’t building the kingdom of God. Our life is but a mist that vanishes at dawn. We are dust and to dust we will return. If we spend our lives building what will eventually come to dust, we will have lived our lives in vain. Reflection/Discussion Question: What is your immediate reaction when you start thinking about death?

In a world divided, one of our greatest downfalls in understanding who Jesus is, is when we try to fit him into the box of our own opinions. First, we pick a side, then we rationalize why Jesus belongs on our side. The problem is, Jesus is on his own side. Jesus isn’t interested in picking sides or siding with our human opinions—he is the King of Kings. This is ultimately what got Jesus killed: He didn’t pick a side. If Jesus lived among us today, we still would have killed him for not picking a side. We are more concerned with political, theological, and social ideologies and using Jesus as an argument for why our side is “right.” We desperately want to understand Jesus through our human lenses of opinion and thought, but Jesus cannot be contained to what our finite minds can comprehend. It’s time we took Jesus’s side and rejected the polarity of the world. If we can first get to know Jesus as he is, then we can look at the world through the lens of love and compassion with which Jesus looks at the world. Instead of identifying with our side, we can identify with the King of Kings. Instead of focusing on choosing a side, we can focus on being chosen by God. Reflection/Discussion Question: What would it look like for you to focus on being chosen by Jesus over trying to make Jesus fit on your side