Sitting Out On The Back Of The Red Truck

   Sitting out on the back of the red truck, enjoying the weather that finally feels like spring, and deep in thought, I suddenly remember again the truth and the core of the Christian faith.

When I said yes to God fourteen years ago, yes to being a Christian, that very moment my life became His.

Everything I own, everything that is mine, my identity, my family, my friends, my good moments, my ugly parts, my thoughts, are all His.

Sitting out on the back of the red truck, I remember that my Jesus promises to take care of me.

Time after time in Scripture, God promises to protect, be with, and rescue those who look to Him for help. So we don't have "to worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matt. 6:31-33

Sitting out here on the back of the red truck, I think of how often I stay in my bubble of worry, how often I linger in the container of self. I am often so consumed with my own problems and struggles, the here and now, that I allow the message of the Good News to fade into the background of my mind. There's an entire world struggling, suffering, and in an endless chase to find happiness, something, someone that will satisfy. A dark world that needs the true Light.

It just so happens that I have the Light of the world, the Creator of all things, the

King, the Redeemer, the Savior, and the Son of God, living in me. Wow. What am I doing? I'm sitting on the sidelines wondering whether or not I should send the blush face emoji or the kiss face emoji to my friend. 

What would the world look like if God's children, His people who are called by His name, humbled themselves and prayed? What if we stopped focusing on what our walk with Jesus makes us give up, and started focusing on what we gain, eternal life and a relationship with the One true God.

What if I, what if you, what if we, were able to see past our own bubbles, recognizing that God promises to provide and take care of our needs, and being the quite literal hands and feet of Jesus to reach those in need? What if we truly lived like Jesus did. He gave His life as a ransom for many. Jesus died for me, so I live for Him.

Sitting out on the back of the red truck, accept this truth with me: "seek the kingdom of God above all else." When we realize that our life is not our own and that we are nothing without God, that opens up the door to ultimate peace.

This humility to say no to self, yes to God, and yes to a life of surrender, can only come from a heart that is tethered to the heart of the Almighty. A heart, soul, and mind that knows the character of God and whose mind is not divided between God and the world.

If the words of the Bible that say, "If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you," is not enough for you, then remember the words of a president America once had, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." We either have to be all in for God, making Him the center of our lives, and living in and not of the world, or we have to cave to the world and make the world our standard. I am painfully learning that there is no in between. You cannot survive with divided loyalty. And if you somehow barely manage to, it will be with great guilt and little dignity.

So sitting here on the back of the red truck, I consider the options laying before me. Do I continue to live and love the temporary treasures of this world, or do I lean on Someone Who is totally perfect in every way, Someone Who is good, and Someone Who is forever? Slowly but surely, I will stay devoted to my King because I am convinced that it is true, He is true, it's all true. My God is good, He is powerful, He is real, He was and is and is to come, and He died for me so I'll live for Him.

Sitting out on the back of the red truck, I'll choose forever over temporary. I'll choose Jesus over all else, He's worth it all.

"Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty." Psalms 91:1

~Ash