Philippians 4:14-23- It Might Not Be Worth It
I’m currently reading this book Everybody Always. It’s a book about learning to love difficult people. I wish I could say I’m learning a lot, but to be honest, it’s only reverberating everything the Lord has already revealed to me over the last few weeks just with less scripture and more words.
If I’ve never taught you anything else.. listen to this because this is certifiably true.
When God wants you to learn something- He is absolutely going to make it His business to show you. This is both cool and frustrating because there’s no fooling God- in case you didn’t know.
I bet I’ve told Jesus a million times, maybe two million, okay God I’ve got it.
I understand that whatever I lay down at Your feet, I should leave there.
Gosh God, I know you know better than I do so I’m just going to let you fix this.
Could you please move on, Lord, I get it. I promise that I am going to do my best to just let it all go because you are sovereign.
….. just in case you needed a few examples….
And you know what? No matter how many times I’ve told Him these things… until I truly move on from one “I’ve got it” He is going to pull me back. Because He loves me.
I’ve started asking myself.. is your pride really worth having to learn this over and over? I’m getting better at reminding myself that it is not.
“What we’ve spent our time collecting might not be worth it.” That’s the title of tonight’s chapter.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve collected things. Conversations, behaviors, personalities. Some people would call these memories but I pocketed them differently.
When I heard women talk about someone and then turn to the subject of that conversation with the biggest, most friendly smile… I pocketed that.
When I had an argument with my significant other over something he did wrong, I pocketed that.
And when I did something I shouldn’t have, I pocketed that too.
Here’s the scripture: Philippians 4:14-23
“And my God will supply ever need according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Only a few weeks back a good friend of mine was sharing some of her heart with me, and to illustrate what she was trying to get across she said, “and I used you as an example, all of your every day people will only see you for what they think you did. They will never know who you really are because their minds are already made up.”
She was right- She still is.
People pocket the things they’ve heard; they pocket the past. People form opinions and they pocket those too and that’s it.
And what do I do? I pocket my opinions and then carry theirs too because now I’ve got something to prove.
We see another woman in swim suit and she’s got it together (you know abs- together- because none of mine touch)- y’all, she’s busting her tail- and we pocket that, not to compliment her on her hard work- to tell her how great she looks but to resent her for the time she sets aside because “we don’t have time, we’re too busy” or to have something to compare ourselves to right before we slip into the shower.
You’ve had an awful day at work and you’ve pocketed all those feelings because you can’t spill them out there… and when you get home your kids are fighting over a bag of cheeto puffs and the entire bag splits open onto your fresh swept white tile. Not only do you have to pocket those puffs into a new sack (because who wastes Cheetos) that one mess is what splits the seam and your entire day pours out onto your kids or maybe your husband.
Anybody else as guilty as me?
“What we’ve spent our time collecting might not be worth it.”
Now this guy in the book was talking about hoarding arcade tickets for the purpose of illustration and Paul is talking about the way his ministry was financially supplied and how God will also supply our every need too but guys, I’m talking about life.
We cannot call ourselves Christians by way of forgiveness through Jesus Christ all the while stuffing our pockets with everyone else’s shortcomings to pull out for comparison when you’re feeling bad about your own.
We cannot call ourselves loved and God honoring when we use another woman’s success to discount our own. I promise Jesus didn’t just bless her with abs; with the right work you could have some too.
And you absolutely cannot claim redemption over your life if you’re living in yesterday while God is pushing you to tomorrow.
Growth and comfortability cannot co-exist.
You don’t need your past and you don’t need hers (or mine either for what it’s worth)
God offers you so much more. All that stuff we’re holding on to, because who knows when you might need the ammunition to blast that girl that stole your third grade boyfriend (because I haven’t forgotten), and it’s just weighing us down. Internalizing these things are crowding your heart, leaving no room for what God wants to supply you with.
You think that size two girl is out to get you? She’s not. Compliment her.
You think that other girl is a straight up mess? Okay, maybe. Pray for her.
Your kids throw Cheetos on your clean floor? You just got y’all a picnic without all that extra work. The floor is clean, sit down with them, laugh, and turn your day around.
God grants us forgiveness and gives us the ability to forgive (Colossians 3:13), shares with us an unconditional love with the expectation that we also distribute that (John 13:34), and anything else we could ever ask for so long as it aligns with His will and His way. (Matthew 21:22)
We need nothing else- the things you’ve been saving are a waste of space.
He will supply our every need.
Pocket that. He will not move on until you do because He loves you too.
And so do I,
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