Ok I know I just posted, but what can I say? God is good!
When I was younger, I thought that the whole point of wearing a sweatshirt was that if you got hot, you could take it off. Then, when I was six, I experienced my first snow day. I was getting dressed, knowing I was going to be playing in the snow all morning, and I told my mom, “I think I can just wear a sweatshirt by itself; I won’t be getting hot today!” This seemed logical to me. It was cold, and I certainly wouldn’t be taking my sweatshirt off. My mom then explained that I should wear a t-shirt underneath anyway because I need a layer close to my body to keep me warm.
As I pulled on a sweatshirt today over a tank top, knowing I wouldn’t be taking my outside layer off, I thought back to that day and of what I’ve learned since then.
And then I thought about my life today. I go out and take on a lot of ‘stuff’, much of which is solid work for the Kingdom of God. I’m not going to get into the other things, but I admit I’m constantly checking myself and evaluating my priorities. But I still need that layer close to my skin; otherwise all that other ‘stuff’ goes to waste.
That layer is the living Word of God. It’s the heart of the Gospel. Maybe you’ve noticed that I go right to the cross of Christ in a lot of my posts. Well that’s because, for me, that’s all there really is. The entire Old Testament sets the stage for the Savior’s coming, from the fall of man right down to the messianic prophecies. After the death and resurrection of Christ, the focus turns to the mission of God. It’s about preparation for the second coming of Jesus, for the establishment of God’s eternal Kingdom.
How is that relevant to our lives? In every way. Every single way.
I’ll return to the sweatshirt analogy: service, fellowship, etc are all awesome and great things, but if we don’t have that core layer woven right next to our skin, we’re still going find ourselves cold. The eternal Truth of Jesus Christ is what keeps our fire going. And we can’t leave it off just because it’s not directly seen. Sometimes what’s not seen is even more valuable than what is.
A song so many have come to know, love, and then live. But it's so true. Keeping Christ at the center of our hearts is our absolute. Worship is our response to what we hold most dear to our lives. So pull the Truth of the Gospel right down to your core, and let your heart be for Jesus.
My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. Psalm 27:8
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22
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