"But just as it is written: 'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the human heart, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.' " I Corinthians 2:9....."We get through days, but we rarely live in them." Mark Buchanan
In Luke 2, the account of the man named Simeon is given. Simeon was a "righteous man and very devout...filled with the Holy Spirit." God had promised him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah with his own eyes. One day, led of the Spirit, he went to the Temple and arrived at the time when Joseph and May were presenting the baby Christ to the Lord, as required by the Law. The Bible says that he took the child in his arms and said, "Now I can die in peace. As you have promised me, I have seen the Savior." Of this account, Mark Buchanan says that "Simeon lived to see Christ and died fulfilled. What do we live for? Will we die fulfilled?" Do you and I dare to allow that question to be asked of us? What is it we live for, and when we die, will we die fulfilled because of what we've lived for?
The passion of Simeon's life was that he might see the Messiah, the Savior. Surely his life was composed of other things. A job, possibly family, personal interests. But the overwhelming desire of His heart was to behold the fulfillment of the Father's promise to him. Nothing held his heart like that desire. Nothing else could ever bring the fulfillment that the realization of that desire did. You get the sense from his words that he could have possessed all the world, and it would not have been enough if he died unable to see His Lord with his own eyes. He lived with a divine passion. Do we? He was held in the grip of the Spirit. What has a grip on us, on our hearts?
We live for trinkets more often than not. God has placed before us all the riches possible in Jesus Christ, yet we continue to seek to accumulate trinkets. The things of God have been reduced to just one of our many interests, and often, found among our lesser ones. Jobs, relationships, husbands, wives and children, and yes, ministry for Him, can all consume us while any real passion for Him grows fainter each day. We live for trinkets and miss the treasures of the Kingdom.
Buchanan says that we get through days, but we rarely live in them. Live in them with His Life. Getting through life becomes the goal. We hope He'll be of some help, but really, we feel more as if we're on our own in the journey. That's the inevitable result when we chase trinkets instead of Treasure. Pastoral burnout is said to be at an all time high. A large reason is because working for Him has replaced living in Him. I think a great reason for this is that pastors, ministers, and workers in the Kingdom have lost or never had a passion for His Presence. We know what the abundant life is supposed to be, but have little if any experience in living it out. So we plod more than rise through life.
Then there are those who would say they do feel fulfilled. These would be the ones who have made comfort, security, and their overall well being their goal in life. If they have that, they feel at ease in everything. This is a deadly deception. We need to remember the rich man Christ spoke of; the one who loved his possessions and comfort, and lived to add on to them in every way. God came to him in a dream, telling him that that very night, he would die, and his soul be required of him. With that, all he had accumulated would be meaningless. What he thought was fulfillment was instead a destructive trap. How many are living just as he did? Are you?
Something that marked the great men and women of the Bible was their passion for the presence of God. Moses, David, Jeremiah, Mary Magdalene, Peter, John, and Paul, all sought His heart before all else. Paul said his overwhelming desire was to know Christ. He died with that desire being fulfilled. With all he accomplished, nothing mattered more. What matters more for you and me? What will mark our passing? Trinkets or Treasure? Which will we have lived for?
Blessings,
Pastor O
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