The Header

This morning I woke up with a million things on my mind and to tell you the truth, the thought of it all stressed me out, and right away I was already looking ahead at my day with a sort of dread. There were things waiting to get checked off the "to do" list, so I started in on them full steam ahead, and the tyranny of the urgent consumed me. You know when you're reading along in a book and you see a small number beside a word, you go down to the bottom of the page, find that number and voila, there's a little footnote to explain that word or sentence. A reference. It's always helpful, but very minute and not actually part of the main document. That's God in my day sometimes. An, "oh yeah, and this is where I squeeze God into my life" kind of note. Right in the middle of all of that, God told me to stop and spend some time with him, and I have to admit, this is the last thing I wanted to do. I was telling God, "Oh God, do I hafta? I've got a million things to do today and this is really going to slow me down." But I sat down to spend time with my God. And as I was praying, the world I was just consumed in started to fade. The urgent didn't seem so urgent anymore and God's agenda which was farthest from my mind a minute ago came to the forefront.

The God of the Bible is certainly not a footnote. He is the header in our life's story. He is the main idea, the bottom line, the meat and potatoes, the essence, the conclusion and the crux. He is the nitty-gritty. He is the nuts and bolts. Deuteronomy 4:24 says He is a consuming fire. In John 15:5, Jesus says, I am the vine; you are the branches . . . apart from me you can do nothing." He is the bread of life (John 6:35). He is the light of the world (John 8:12). He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). He is our life source. HE IS! Romans 11:36 says, "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen."

That said, the whole of what it means to follow Jesus can be summed up in just one verse, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself . . . do this and you will live (Luke 10:27-28). We are to be consumed in God and his purpose to show his love to others. Try writing that in your daily planner each day. It changes your schedule just a bit, doesn't it? I know, there are still those day to day chores and troubles we all have to deal with, but it would keep us from getting buried in those things. Instead, be buried in Jesus Christ. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:2-3). It is like entering another reality. You're in the world, but not consumed by it.

When I plug into my life source (Jesus Christ), I am filled with peace and joy, and my day doesn't seem so daunting after all. In fact, I look forward to the adventure. It makes me think of that old hymn,

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace."

This is what God has been teaching me. What has he been teaching you?