July 31

Psalm 24, Romans 14, Proverbs 20:12

We went to my parents house the other day to clean out a room. I have never seen so many clothes haphazardly piled 4 feet high. This is no joke, nor is it an exaggeration. As we took on the task of separating donation piles from trash, I was overwhelmed by trying to understand what one person could possibly do with so much stuff. Clearly, the trend setting pull of the world manifested in this one tiny room. In knew it was more than could be accomplished in one day and I prayed for strength to get through the task. 

I think there has to come a point in our journey (long before we find ourselves in a cluttered space with useless stuff), when we face a fork in the road and our choice boils down to answering one question, Whose Kingdom am I building?  Like Enoch, am I walking with God, or am I following my own agenda seeking my own comforts just to get through this thing called life. Both Genesis 1 and John 1 start the same, "In the beginning..." God was in the beginning. Today's reading helps piece this together. Through today's reading in the Psalm we see how everything belongs to God because He created it all, every thing and every person. Paul tells us that whether we live or die we belong to the Lord. Proverbs tells us that the Lord made both ears that hear and eyes that see. I have made some pretty poor decisions in the past because I had learned life is about living to clutter the room (my life) with useless stuff. I was building my own kingdom, following the ways of the world, not realizing there was a more meaningful way to live. I am grateful that I learned Jesus's life and death frees us from being trapped in a room with useless stuff. Anxiety, worry, fear, addictions, keep us focused on doing things to numb our pain, we end up cluttering our lives and building our kingdom around our needs to feel better. We learn through Scripture that Jesus is a real person and everything and everyone belongs to Him. When we spend time in prayer and sit in His presence, we experience this truth. Toby Mac sang a song about doing everything we do to the glory of the One who made you and if you listen to the song, it doesn't matter what it is you're doing. I pray we keep that in mind when we're at the fork in the road or wrestling to clean out the stuff in your room, or in your life. The earth is Adonai's and all that fills it, the world, and those dwelling in it. (TLV) The only path to real joy is repenting of building our own kingdom, spending time with God and making him known to others. Reach out to Jesus to give you strength, live to build His Kingdom.

Randi