Remind Us

Last night we attended a funeral for a relative.
It has really brought me to a place of pondering life and what we leave behind.

Last night we also watched the Spurs win.
In light of the funeral, I watched these players-- most with national and maybe even international reputations. Some of these players' names will go down in history. They make LOTS of money, have LOTS of fame, and receive LOTS of "glory" here on earth. Some covet their lives.

But when we die the ground is leveled. To death, we are all the same.

It's hard to avoid sounding trite when referencing this subject, but I think there is really something to learn here.

When we die, we take nothing with us. Standing before the Lord, no earthly "glory" matters.
No approval from our peers.
No favor with leaders.
Not any of our things.
Not our matching living room sets.
Not our cute outfits.
Not our figure or physique.
Not our opinions.
Not our identity as wife, husband, mom, friend, sister, brother, etc.
Not our credentials.
Nothing.

So what does this mean for us? What are we investing in?

This has really challenged me. We invest so much in what gets left behind. I want Jesus to take me to a place where all of that is left behind and I press on ONLY for the prize-- only for Christ Jesus my Lord. Sometimes I lose sight that life is fleeting. That this is my ONE opportunity. That Jesus made me for Him. Not for them.

I want to be made holy.
I want to long for His presence.
This is not our home.

I want to invest my life in...
the poor.
the orphans.
the widows.
the hurt.
the angry.
the empty.
the broken.
...the glory of Christ.

He "wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth". 1 Timothy 2:4

Do I want all men to be saved? Do I live my life toward that end?

This affluence is blinding us.
Most of us can't see past it.
...Or we aren't looking.

I am not above it. I want it. I pursue it. But every encounter with Him reminds me that this is not my home. That my cute home will not go with me. That His purposes are higher than mine.

And this is my ONE chance.
I will live for Him.
Everyday I must die to self.
Everyday I must put on Christ...
who "made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant..."

What does Christ-likeness really look like??

Are we brave enough to ask that question? Are we brave enough to think that maybe we really aren't entitled to all of this?

Brave is indeed the right word. Because encountering truth shakes people. It changes us.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

Do we really believe these words?
I want my life to echo them.
Change me Jesus.
Change us.
And everyday remind us we're desperate.
And we take nothing with us.
Remind Us.
Every day.