What matters. As I dig more into my ONE WORD for 2020 which is CONTEND, what matters tends to be the basis in every area of my life.
In my relationship with God…what matters?
In my marriage, what matters?
In my home, what matters?
Within my church family, what matters?
In my work as a teacher, what matters?
I think that the “preacher” sums it up in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.
In every area of life, what matters first is GOD. Am I glorifying Him in my thoughts, in my speech, in my actions. Am I glorifying Him in my relationships by the way I treat “one another”? He makes me complete. It isn’t the “worldly” things. It is a life set with a purpose–Living for HIM–
It is like the “domino effect”…….
In order to LIVE for Him, every AREA of your life must be BUILT on Him.
In order to be BUILT on Him, I must KNOW Him.
In order to KNOW Him, I need to be CONNECTED to Him through the WORD and PRAYER.
In order to be CONNECTED to Him, I must CONTEND for time in the Word, understanding the Word, gaining wisdom from the Word.
So that I know His attributes. I know His character. I know His expectations. I know LOVE. I know TRUTH. I know this LIVING HOPE. I know GRACE. I know MERCY.
I recently came across a “blurb” about having a relationship with the scripture:
“It’s a relationship. And people in relationships do stupid, crazy things. They get up early to spend time with each other. They stay up late, “too” late, and fall asleep with one another. They tell others where they are, what they’re doing and who they’re doing it with. They talk on the phone, text, and FaceTime one another. In short, they are together. They grow close. They miss one another when they’re not together. They ask questions. They listen. They also argue with one another, they disagree. They pushback one another, and sometimes, they don’t find resolution or satisfaction. Studying scripture should be like that. (published by WestWay Christian Church)
That, my friends, is contending to be CONNECTED to Him through the Word to be on that right path.
It is so important to have that strong foundation. That strong foundation leads you down the narrow way.
This past week, my freshman English class had a project. They were split into groups and given 20 pipe cleaners and 15 minutes to build the tallest tower. We had success and we had failure.
One of the examples they came up with is above. The reason it was successful…is because it had a STRONG FOUNDATION. Our life must be the SAME WAY. We need to CONTEND for what is important in all areas of our life. And in order to know what is important, we need to be connected to the TRUTH. To the INSPIRED WORDS of our Loving Father.
Life will get busy. Life will get chaotic this year. But what matters? What is truly important?
At the end of this particular class, we connected this project to Ecclesiastes 12:13-14. They had to reflect upon these words–make a connection, explain what they meant. I am going to leave you with a couple of examples…
Example 1:
What is of the essence in this life is not the things. What is most important in this life is who I really am. Am I authentic, real, without the costume of facade? When I surround myself with different crowds–does it match up? What about what is hidden deep in my heart and thoughts? Are they aligned with the path God has given us or the schemes of the devil? God’s ways should be MY ways. At the end of life, that is what matters most. Who am I is the only “thing” going with me.
Example 2:
According to Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes, all the things of this world are without meaning, and will not carry over into the next. We can take no material thing with us. Here is what does matter: We are to respect God and trust his teaching, for this is the purpose of mankind. We know that no deed done in the dark will be overlooked—God sees them all and will hold us accountable for all our actions, those that were the result of love and obedience as well as the results of hate and rebellion.
What are you contending for?
Anchored to Him,
Leigh Ann
