Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matt 6:21).
Life does not consist in an abundance of possessions (Luke 12:15).
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Gal. 5:6).
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, ”you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).
A new command I give you, love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34).
Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil. 3:8).
Dear heavenly Father, these Scriptures are convicting, timely, and freeing. They are a collage of gospel sanity and a tapestry of heart freedom. I need all of them; for the older I get, the more I see how our culture (and the idol factory of my heart) celebrates busyness, much-ness and many-ness as core values. Yet you have placed the greatest value on loving well, not having or being enough.
If (when) I throw my heart into cruise control, I live much more of a driven life than a called like—a life more preoccupied with paying for life than being present in relationships; more involved with managing chaos than enjoying beauty; more distracted about the next I have to do, than engaged with the person with who I sit; more taken up with serving Jesus than savoring Jesus. Have mercy on me, Lord, have mercy.
May the gospel continue to change the price tags in my life, so I will value what you value and treasure what you treasure. May your grace set the agenda, pace and the goals of my life. Give me bulldog tenacity not to let the world (even the world of my Christian sub-culture) squeeze me into its mold, rhythms and ways.
Thank you, Father, that vain regrets are not the order of the day. In Jesus I am already forgiven and righteous; but by Jesus, I want to be much freer, joyful and present. So I raise the sails of my heart to the wind of your Spirit. Take me and make of me that which is your delight and pleasure. So very Amen I pray, with conviction and peace, in Jesus’ name.
