What’s at the Center of My Life?

In Matthew 22:37-38 I read, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (NIV)

God wants to be at the very center of my life. Not on the edge, and not just a segment. The God of the universe—the God who made and loves me—wants to be the hub of my heart and the axis of my existence.

Here’s another way to look at it: God wants to have a love relationship with me.

The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV).

The truth is, I’m going to center my life around something. I may center it around my career, family, or hobbies. I may center it around making money or being popular.

But putting anything besides God at the center of my life is an idol. Exodus 20:3-4 says, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea” (NLT).

How do I know when something has taken center stage in my life instead of God? It’s simple. When God’s not at the center, I start to worry and stress out; I get fearful. These are the warning lights that God is no longer the nucleus of my heart.

In contrast, how can I tell when my life is centered on God? I’m at peace. I stop worrying. The Bible says, “A sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:7 The Message).

Ask yourself this: “What’s going to be the center for the rest of my life?”  It’s the most important thing I will ever have to decide.

In summary, God wants to be at the very center of my life. Not on the edge, and not just a segment. The God of the universe who made and loves me, wants to be the hub of my heart and the axis of my existence. God wants to have a love relationship with me. I’m going to center my life around something. Putting anything besides God at the center of my life is an idol. Exodus 20:3-4 reminds me, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything...”. When something has taken center stage in my life instead of God, I start to worry and stress out; I get fearful. These are the warning lights that God is no longer the nucleus. When my life is centered on God, I’m at peace and I stop worrying. So what’s going to be the center for the rest of my life?  It’s the most important thing I will ever have to decide.

Jesus said that if I truly love God and my neighbor, I will naturally keep the commandments. This is looking at God's law positively. Rather than worrying about all we should not do, I should concentrate on all I can do to show my love for God and others. 

It’s Smart to Be Patient

In Proverbs 14:29 I read, “It’s smart to be patient.” (CEV)

My life has an ebb and flow. Sometimes God wants me to move quickly, but sometimes he wants me to slow down. As Proverbs 14:29 says, “It’s smart to be patient” (CEV).

First, I should always move slowly when I don’t have all the facts. Our culture worships impulsiveness and spontaneity. It tells me that spur-of-the-moment, “gut” decisions are the right ones.

I also hear repeatedly that I should “follow my heart.” But the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV).

Feelings often lead me in the wrong direction. So I need to rely on the truth outside of myself.

The Bible is clear about that: “What a shame—yes, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!” (Proverbs 18:13 TLB).

So when I don’t yet have all the facts, slow down. Don’t rely on my gut, heart, or feelings. Take the time to look for objective truth outside of myself.

Second, move slowly when I’m hurt, angry, or depressed. When I’m upset, I tend to react and retaliate rather than acting wisely.

James 1:19 says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (NIV).

Do you see the rhythm in that verse? It says quick, slow, slow. If I’m quick to listen and slow to speak, I’ll automatically be slow to become angry. But if I’m slow to listen and quick to speak, I’ll be quick to become angry.

Proverbs 15:18 tells me what to do instead: “Losing your temper causes a lot of trouble, but staying calm settles arguments” (CEV).

Proverbs 15:28 says it this way: “The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking” (NLT). In other words, godly people put their minds in gear before their mouths.

Sometimes I’m going to feel angry, hurt, or depressed. That’s just part of life. But the next time that happens, slow down. Proverbs 14:29 says, “Patience leads to abundant understanding, but impatience leads to stupid mistakes” (CEB).

Don’t make quick decisions that I’m going to regret.

And the same is true when I don’t have all the facts. Instead of just “following my heart,” take the time to slow down and make a careful decision.

Remember: It’s smart to be patient.

In summary, life has an ebb and flow. Sometimes God wants me to move quickly, but sometimes he wants me to slow down. No matter if its quick or slow, It’s smart to be patient. First, I should always move slowly when I don’t have all the facts. Our culture worships impulsiveness and spontaneity. It tells me that spur-of-the-moment, “gut” decisions are the right ones. I also hear repeatedly that I should “follow my heart.” But as God’s Word tells me, “The heart is deceitful above all things,” Feelings often lead me in the wrong direction. So I need to rely on the truth outside of myself. Also God’s Word says, how stupid!—to decide before knowing the facts!”. So when I don’t yet have all the facts, slow down. Don’t rely on my gut, heart, or feelings. Take the time to look for objective truth outside of myself. Second, move slowly when I’m hurt, angry, or depressed. When I’m upset, I tend to react and retaliate rather than acting wisely. James reminds me to “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”. If I’m quick to listen and slow to speak, I’ll automatically be slow to become angry. In addition “losing your temper causes a lot of trouble, but staying calm settles arguments”. “The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking”. “put your mind in gear before their your mouth. Sometimes I’m going to feel angry, hurt, or dep, ressed. That’s just part of life. The next time that happens, slow down. Proverbs 14:29 says, “Patience leads to abundant understanding, but impatience leads to stupid mistakes”. Don’t make quick decisions that I’m going to regret. The same is true when I don’t have all the facts. Instead of just “following my heart,” take the time to slow down and make a careful decision. Remember: It’s smart to be patient.

A quick temper can be like a fire out of control. It can burn me and everyone else in its path. Anger divides people. It pushes me into hasty decisions that only cause bitterness and guilt. Yet anger, in itself, is not wrong. Anger can be a legitimate reaction to injustice and sin. When I feel myself getting angry, look for the cause. Am I reacting to an evil situation that I'm going to set right? Or am I responding selfishly to a personal insult?  I pray that God will help me control my quick temper, channeling my feelings into effective action and conquering selfish anger through humility and repentance.  

Being Faithful With the Work I’ve Been Given

In Luke 16:10-11 I read, “For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (TLB)

If I think I’m going to be bored in heaven, think again.

I won’t be sitting around on a cloud doing nothing in heaven. God wired me and knows what I’m interested in. All my hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped me with my own spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t make me extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use my shape in eternity.

I will work in heaven, but here’s the difference between work in heaven and work on Earth: In heaven, I’m guaranteed to enjoy my work. I won’t experience any heartache or stress over my work. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. I’ll have my dream job forever!

While I may not yet know what my specific roles or responsibilities will be in heaven. I do know that they will be based on how faithful I am with the roles and responsibilities God has given me on Earth. 

God is watching and testing me. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy I am with the responsibilities I have now.

What am I doing with what I’ve been given? If I make the most of what I’ve been given, then God is going to give me more in heaven. I’ll make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but my rewards and responsibilities once I get there will be based on how faithfully I served God on Earth.

The Bible explains: “For unless you are honest in small matters, you won’t be in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:10-11 TLB).

God is watching to see how I manage my finances, time, relationships, health, and opportunities. 

The way I manage my money is a test of my faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what I do in heaven. If God can’t trust me with worldly wealth—if I’m always in debt, I can’t afford to tithe, and I’m not generous—then what do I think he’s going to trust me with in eternity?

God is watching how I handle my responsibilities too—not because he wants to make me feel guilty but because he wants me to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer.

When I choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to me on Earth, then I will be entrusted with much more in heaven.

In summary, I won’t be bored in heaven. I won’t be sitting around doing nothing. God wired me and knows what I’m interested in. All my hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped me with my own spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t just make me extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use my shape in eternity. I will work in heaven, but here’s the difference: In heaven, I’m guaranteed to enjoy my work. I won’t experience any heartache or stress. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. While I may not yet know what my specific roles or responsibilities will be, I do know that they will be based on how faithful I am/was with the roles and responsibilities God gave me to do on Earth. God is watching and testing me. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy I am with the responsibilities I have now. So what am I doing with what I’ve been given? If I make the most of what I’ve been given, then God is going to give me more in heaven. I make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but my rewards and responsibilities will be based on how faithfully I served God on Earth. God is watching to see how I manage my finances, time, relationships, health, and opportunities on earth. The way I manage my money is a test of my faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what I do in heaven. If God can’t trust me with worldly wealth, then what do I think he’s going to trust me with in eternity? God is watching how I handle my responsibilities too—not because he wants to make me feel guilty but because he wants me to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer. When I choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to me on Earth, then I will be entrusted with much more in heaven.

My integrity is often put on the line in money matters. God calls us to be honest even in small details I could easily ignore. Heaven's riches are far more valuable than earthly wealth. But if we are not trustworthy with our money here (no matter how much or little I have), I will be unfit to handle the vast riches of God's Kingdom. See that I maintain my integrity in all matters, whether big or small.