chasing the sun

I’m tired of emptiness in everything I see and hear. Why do Christians spend so much of our time worrying about and concerning ourselves with things that have no eternal value? I recently heard an interesting statement: “Seeing the results of your actions is not important, just the actions are.”

We live in a world of assessment and quantifiable results. If we can’t see results, something is reordered, made-over or cut out completely. I feel like people have taken it upon themselves to determine precisely what pleases God and what doesn’t and they are going to rid the world of the latter.

Firstly, that is not possible. We live in a fallen world full of sin and totally depraved people. So to those of you who are wasting your time simply trying to “make the world a better place” please stop now.

I don’t mean to discourage good works in anyway. I only want us to think not just about what we do, but WHY WE DO IT? If your good work is not motivated by love, then what good is it? You may benefit someone else, but you are not earning any kind of reward for yourself. You’re not racking up points with God because you do good things that get good results.

Secondly, I do not determine the worth or value of my sacrifices to God. Remember when Cain tried to that? It didn’t end so well for him. God determines all value and all worth. Trying to make everything better for the sake of making it better is a vicious and cyclical waste of time. When our life’s ambition is improving a situation or making the world a better place, our object of affection and honor becomes the situation or the world and not God himself.

Then we can also avoid looking to our own skills and abilities. Its not about finding that perfect place or that perfect ministry. God has opened wide the world to us. With all its hurts and problems, we don’t have to go looking for ways to bring justice, mercy and compassion to a hurting world in the name of Jesus. I don’t have to know the future or how the actions I take today will affect the world 50 years from now. I only have to devote this moment to God, to say that I don’t want to waste my short life doing things that are the perfect thing or waiting for the perfect person to come along. He makes all things grow anyway, we just get to be a part of the process.