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Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15

We all know that what we have on this earth is temporary. But somehow that doesn’t stop us from trying to get more of it.

Jesus doesn’t ask us (in this passage, at least) to not have any possessions. What he is asking is that we keep our desires in check. We shouldn’t be so focused on “stuff” that we get caught up in wanting more and more of it. We can appreciate what we have without letting it cloud our minds and pollute our actions.

Don’t get caught up in the stuff you have or want. Enjoy God’s blessings, but guard against needing more than God has provided.

Be God’s — every day.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
Galatians 1:8

To “preach a gospel other than the one” does not mean to pick another religion or faith and teach it’s words. This statement is considerably more broad than that.

The word gospel means “good news,” and there are lots of ways we can preach about good news. We might think or say that having more wealth will solve our problems, or that getting into a premier college will help us get that perfect job. We might think that having a great public image in a perfect nuclear family will bring us happiness and esteem. We might think that losing a few pounds will solve all sorts of problems.

Here’s the thing… All of those might have some value. But none of them will save you. They probably won’t save you now, and they certainly won’t save you for eternity.

The things of this world are but temporary. Only through putting our faith in Christ, and the grace shown to us through him, can we be saved. This is THE good news!

Be God’s — every day.

In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has.
Proverbs 21:20

The Bible isn’t full of just prophecy and miracles. It also contains loads of practical wisdom on living every day.

Living beneath your means is an important part of living sustainably. It creates a surplus that is saved for the future — either for important investments or to absorb a downturn. It also teaches us that we don’t need to chase that next dollar. When we live at or above our means, it becomes more and more important to grow our wealth in the future.

I remember commenting once that I felt like I saved just as much money when I had my first real paycheck as I did 4 years later — with an income that had managed to double. I know I was caught in living above my means, betting on the future since the future looked bright. I feel like it took years to rebalance… And it’s still a temptation to this day.

Thank God for all we have, and may we all have the strength and wisdom to not count on every blessing we have been given.

Be God’s — every day.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

Okay, this isn’t a random verse today. I have a story to tell.

Yesterday I was called to a meeting with the head of HR for Aon Hewitt’s global consulting business. Apparently, I am on a list of high potential people who they intend to groom for leadership roles and want to make sure they retain. They wanted to know how I felt about our merger, and what my career aspirations were.

At some point, he asked me what was important to me. Knowing that this could be a career limiting statement, I decided it was the right time to be honest about where I see my life heading:

“My career is third on my priority list, so what is important to me at work is to make sure I can stay centered on priorities 1 and 2. I want to become the man I was created to be, and I want to be the best husband and father (eventually) that I can be. My career is a means to those ends.”

He was a bit surprised, I’d say. He even replied “Needless to say we don’t get the response too often in these discussions.”

“Maybe that’s a problem. If our future leaders are just focused on work, where does that lead us? No one puts ‘He was a really good consultant’ on their headstone. I’m all for being a good consultant, but I think we all need to keep that in perspective.”

I feel a bit liberated today. Who knows where those comments will go. I suppose nothing could happen. I suppose I could get removed from the hi-po list — which is probably okay if my values are inconsistent with that career. Or, I suppose, the powers that be will respect those values and recognize that being a Christian doesn’t disqualify me as a leader. Time will tell. But having been honest, I am very at peace with being real about who I am and what I care about.

I don’t share this to be proud. I share this because I know I’m not the only one who struggles to balance career and family. I know I’m not the only one who knows that we can all get caught up in getting ahead. Know that I’m there with you. Pray for me as this pans out. I’ve taken a stand for what I think God made me to be. I know God smiles upon us as we stand for him.

And tomorrow we’ll get back to NOT being about me…

Be God’s — every day.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1 John2:15

We are commanded to have no other gods before the one true God. Those other gods might be something one would worship formally (that we might call a “god”), or it might be something in the world that becomes god-like to us. Some physical thing. Or a person. Or a desire or feeling.

If we allow that god to become our focus and primary goal, we has created space between us and the Father. This love of the other god will prevent the Lord from ruling within us.

Focus your love and affection on the one true God, through whom we can then show adoration, compassion and affection to the gifts He gives to us. God first… Other stuff second.

Be God’s — every day.