For Not On

Philip.1:^21-22 “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ…” (emphasis added)

We must not confuse a full life with a meaningful life. Full does not necessarily translate to being fulfilled. It is possible to be full and not be fulfilled. We often try to fill our lives with sports, or watching television, or with social media, or with partying. Guess what? It is possible to have a full life and still feel empty. It is possible to have a full life that is not meaningful. Sometimes, people try to fill their lives with sex. What I teach young people that want to get married at one of our premarital counselling sessions is, sexual intensity is not the same as sexual intimacy. You can have the intensity and still not have intimacy. You can be filled with activity yet there is no connection, no intimacy. What God wants is for our lives to be fulfilled, filled with His life, filled with fulfilment, and filled with contentment.

But many people miss it because they want to fill it with different things. Until we realize that it is only in Christ that our lives have meaning, we continue to waste our time trying to fill it with other things. 1 Peter 1:^3-4 “…Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven – and the future starts now!” (MSG, emphasis added). How many things do we have to live for? The Bible says we have everything to live for. The reason a lot of people are confused today is they have nothing to live for. But because Jesus was raised from the dead, we have everything to live for including a future in heaven. And guess what? The Bible says the future starts now, not when you die.

We have everything to live for. There is a difference between having something to live on and having something to live for. When we fill our lives with things, we have something to live on. Note that the things people are filling their lives with are good things not necessarily evil things. But when we make such things the things to live on, the life becomes empty. Until you understand that you were made for God and by God, life is not going to make sense. God has blessed us with good things, and we are grateful. However, if we build our lives on these good things and make what we are supposed to be living on what you are living for, it leads to frustration. What I am saying is this; what you live on can give you the good life, but it is what you live for that gives you the better life that Jesus has for you.

Unfortunately, people try to live for the things they are supposed to be living on. When we live for the things we are supposed to be living on, we do not live for the things we are actually meant to be living for. Thus, life becomes meaningless. We often hear of popular people, well-read, well-traveled, well-known, intelligent people who suddenly commit suicide. Everyone wonders what was missing and this is it, they had a lot to live on but nothing to live for. God says, if you are in Christ Jesus you have everything to live for.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone will be my life, my passion, and pursuit, in Jesus Name. Amen!