Who do you live for???

Greetings!!

Well the good Lord laid this on my heart this morning so I figured it is to be talked about.

Who do you live for?  What makes you tick?  Is there someone special in your life that you just don't ever want to do without so you feel like you live for him or her?  Your spouse?  Your children?  Perhaps your parents or a dear friend?  I live for Jesus!!

Don't get me wrong, there are some very special people in my life that I would never want to do without.  I love them dearly.  But if it came down to having to make a choice between them or Jesus,,,  Jesus would have to win hands down!!  My relationship and my life with Jesus is for all eternity.  The things of this earth are temporary.  In the grand scheme of things, earthly life is but a blink of an eye compared to eternity.  Here today, gone tomorrow so to speak.

Its really hard to imagine what eternity is.  Its hard to wrap your mind around it.  But let me see if I can give you a bit of an analogy.  Pick the largest sandy beach in the world and imagine how big it is, stand in the middle of it.  Now take one single tiny grain of sand and put it in your hand as you stand on that huge beach that you can not see the beginning or the end.  That tiny grain of sand is life on this earth and the beach is eternity.  Get the idea now?  You can not see the beginning of eternity and there is no end to it.  What do you then think is more important, life today or eternity?

When we can put things in perspective such as this then we can really begin to see what is more important.  I suffer from chronic illness and pain, but I do not let it control my life today because my eternal life is much more important to me.  I live for Jesus!!  I am promised a new body without illness, pain and sorrow in my eternal life.  So now I don't worry about what I am suffering today because it is but a blink of the eye in comparison to what I will have for all eternity.  Living a sinful life today is not worth what I might lose in heaven.  Am I perfect and without sin?  Of course not!!  But I strive to do the best I can and repent when I make a mistake because I want the rewards that await me in heaven and do not want to spend an eternity suffering in the lake of fire called hell.

We were not promised a life on earth without trials and tribulations but we were promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us  if we but call upon Him.  We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  We can also endure and get through all things through Christ.  If you suffer from chronic illness and pain you can get through it with His help.  One day at a time, one hour at a time and even one minute at a time, but you can make it with His help.  Call upon the name of the Lord and you shall be delivered.  I believe these things with all my heart.  I have called upon my Lord and Savior millions upon millions of times and each time He was there.  He comforted me and strengthened me.  He carried me when I no longer had the strength to carry myself.

When Peter got out of the boat and walked on water he had his focus on Jesus.  The minute he let the storms around him distract him enough to take his eyes off of Jesus he started to sink.  That is like life today.  The minute we let the storms of life distract us from keeping our focus on Jesus we begin to sink.  But like Peter if we keep our eyes on the Lord we can weather the storms of life and walk on water or rise above those storms.  So, get out of the boat and walk straight ahead because Jesus is there to help you!!

Until next time,,,,,,,,Blessings!