Are you living for yourself or Jesus?

Are you living for yourself or Jesus?

The dove found no rest for the sole of her foot. Genesis 8:9 KJV Reader, can you find rest apart from your ark—Jesus Christ? If you can, your religion is worthless. Are you satisfied with anything less than the conscious knowledge of your union with and share in Christ? Then woe to you. If you profess to be a Christian but find your full satisfaction in worldly pleasures and pursuits, your profession is false. If your soul can rest, finding a bed long enough and a sheet broad enough to cover itself in the chambers of sin, then you are a hypocrite. You are far from any right thoughts of Christ or understanding of His preciousness. But perhaps that is not your case. Maybe you feel that even if you could indulge in sin without punishment, that would be a punishment in itself. Maybe you believe that if you could have the whole world, and live in it forever, that would be misery—because God is what your soul really craves. If so, be of good courage: you are a child of God. With all your sins and imperfections, take this as comfort: if your soul finds no rest in sin, you are not like sinners are! If you are still craving something better, Christ has not forgotten you—because you have not quite forgotten Him. Believers cannot do without their Lord; words are inadequate to express their thoughts of Him. We cannot eat the sands of the wilderness—we want the manna that drops from on high. Our bottles of human confidence won’t yield us a drop of moisture, but we drink from the rock that follows us—and that rock is Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). When you feed on Him, your soul can sing, “He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:5 NLT). But if you don’t have Christ, your overflowing wine vat and well-filled barn can give you no true satisfaction. Instead, lament over them with the words of wisdom: “Meaningless! Meaningless! . . . Everything is meaningless!” (Ecclesiastes 1:2).

When you get up, who are you living for?

What motivates you? What drives you?

Are your thoughts at all in your day towards Jesus even for a moment?  

I start my day with my alarm clock. My choices start there. Get up with it or not. Then comes making coffee or not. Of what to wear.  By mutual agreement I agree to show up and work, my employer agrees to give me work and pay me. 

Choices start with every thought. 

Being in a church building isn't being in the Church anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.  Being with people who are believers isn't going to save you.  It may ease your conscience but that's it.  There is an old hymn Have you any room for Jesus?"

Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore your load of sin? As He knocks and asks admission, Sinner, will you let Him in? Refrain: Room for Jesus, King of Glory! Hasten now His Word obey; Swing the heart’s door widely open, Bid Him enter while you may. Room for pleasure, room for business, But for Christ the Crucified, Not a place that He can enter, In the heart for which He died? Have you any room for Jesus, As in grace He calls again? Oh, today is time accepted, T’morrow you may call in vain. Room and time now give to Jesus, Soon will pass God’s day of grace; Soon thy heart left cold and silent, And thy Savior’s pleading cease. Think about your life and what motivates you in your day.  Is there any room for Jesus to work in you?  Do you spend more than a few moments before eating with Him in prayer?  Is there foul language coming from the same mouth that you use to pray to the God of the Universe? No it's not a slip of the tongue.  It's sin rearing itself up. What are you thinking of in your day?  Yes you need to focus on your work at your hands but does Jesus ever cross your mind?  Do you live for your rights and pleasures but don't lift a finger to live for Jesus?  Whether you are a Christian or not that question is for everyone.  You need to take an accounting of your life. In the parable of the the workers. Each was sent out in the fields for one thing, to work for the one who was agreeing to pay them.  They weren't going in the fields to play around an get wages for doing nothing.  Are you living for your own self or is Jesus even a part of your thoughts in your day?  You cannot hold onto your cross and your life at the same time.  Your cross is something you take up in Christ that takes your everything to move. Look at your motivations today. Look at your why. Why are you sitting there? Why are you doing what you are doing?  Is that activity going to help you?   Jesus is returning an He said that no man knows the day nor the hour.  But He admonished us to be found DOING a life that was for Christ. Living the faith.  If you haven't been, start today in living for Jesus.