philosophy

Posted somewhere in most businesses and institutions is a philosophy, a system for striving, a creed... "THIS IS WHO WE ARE, AND WE EXIST TO ACCOMPLISH [THIS]." I think the same is true of every man. Our lives reflect a philosophy- what we believe to be true and meaningful, what we strive to achieve and for what purpose. It is one man's philosophy that sets him apart from the next guy. So I've been thinking... what is my philosophy of life?

So here it is:

IN VIEW OF THE BREVITY OF LIFE

AND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE UNSEEN ETERNAL,

I WILL ENDEAVOR TIRELESSLY TO:
 

1) KNOW GOD INTIMATELY

2) LOVE PEOPLE SELFLESSLY

3) ENJOY BEAUTY THOROUGHLY

 

Know God Intimately.

John 17:3 says "This is eternal life: that they may KNOW You, the only true God, and the only One You have sent- Jesus Christ." Eternal life is more than pearly gates and streets of gold, Heaven is Heaven because God is there. Paul enunciates the same concept when he wrote the Philippians- "More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the SURPASSING VALUE of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ" (3:8). There is no greater pursuit and there will be no greater reward.

 

Love People Selflessly.

The progression is natural... if I know my God and grasp His grace then I will love as He loved. 1 John 4:7-8, 11 make this connection pretty clear- "Let us love one another because LOVE IS FROM GOD, and everyone who loves has been born of God AND KNOWS GOD. The one who does not love does not know God, because GOD IS LOVE.... Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another." Not to mention, according to 1 Corinthians 13:2, if I do anything without love I AM NOTHING. People are forever... so if I invest in anything, may it be souls!

 



Enjoy Beauty Thoroughly.

"From the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For THOUGH THEY KNEW GOD, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude..." (Romans 1:20-21). The splendor of creation provides an opportunity to recognize the splendor of He who created. The book of Job is filled with declarations of the jaw-dropping grandeur of creation, but my favorite verse is 26:14. After a lengthy list of things only God could do, Job says- "These are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the word we hear of Him! Who can understand His mighty thunder?" Beauty is everywhere and I'm determined to soak it up. From the little things like dandelions and dimples to the big things like the galaxies.... I want to live in gratitude for this extravagant backdrop.

 



the other side of the storm

I'm one of those people who can sleep through anything. For instance, every night I set six alarms; and every morning I sleep through five of them. But somehow I don't think I could have slept through the storm in Luke 8:22-25.

Picture this: Twelve disciples and their teacher all pile in a boat and Jesus instructs them to cross over the sea of Galilee. No big deal- at least four of the guys were seasoned fishermen- they knew the routine. Jesus curls up and falls asleep. All is well in the world.

And then comes the storm. Not uncommon- in fact, the Sea of Galilee is infamous for these kind of storms. The Sea of Galilee sits like a basin 700 ft. below sea level with mountains and hills on every side. Cold fronts brought violent wind storms over the hills resulting in thrashing waves up to seven feet tall. This is no laughing matter. The disciples panic. Fearing for their lives, they turn to sleeping Jesus. Desperate, they wake Him. "MASTER! MASTER! DON'T YOU CARE?! WE'RE GOING TO DROWN!"

The sovereign Savior woke from His slumber and silences the storm. The sea is still and the wind stopped.

"Where is your faith?"

What an unfair question. It was Jesus who suggested this journey in the first place.

The disciples turn to one another, amazed and yet afraid- "Who can this be? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him!"

Maybe that's it... WHO is this object of our faith? In perfect sovereignty, Christ gave His disciples an opportunity to trust Him. Someone once said "Faith not tested can't be trusted." So here was the test. Jesus Christ is the object of our faith. We can trust that when He calls us to "cross over to the other side, He's gonna go with us and we will make the journey. He's given us a direction and promised us a destination, and when disaster strikes- the decision is ours! We can be confident even when the boat gets rocked because our God is capable; He is faithful. He is sovereign to take us THROUGH the storms to the other side.

Where is your faith? For faith is only as strong as its object!

Don't tell your God how big the storm is. Tell your storm how big your God is!