Have a Heart

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 “Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whosoever will save their life will lose it, and whosoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25. “I come that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10b

Not every winning lottery ticket gets cashed-in. Some are lost, some go through the laundry, some get thrown out with the trash! And, believe-it-or-not, at times, people forget to claim their prizes. Similarly, not every tax refund gets claimed. Not every inheritance is claimed, either. That’s why newspapers regularly carry public notices about refunds.

I played on our high school basketball team. The final game of our senior year we made it to the championships. It was a back-and-forth game the entire evening. The final seconds arrived…the other team made a basket! They were ahead by 1 point! They stole the ball from us and were racing at to their end of the court. I managed to steal the ball back! I sprinted toward our end of the court which looked at least a mile away! As I ran I glanced at the clock. There were 2 seconds left! I was at mid-court. I had no other choice. I jumped…I shot…jump shots were my specialty, so at least I had the hope that I was playing my strength in this final moment. The ball hit the rim. It rolled around. And around. And around. And…fell off. We lost the championship.

All of these are examples of being “so near, but so far.”

Jesus offers us abundant life…here and hereafter.

We may take the time to read these (Bread) daily devotions every day. We may even go to Church every Sunday. And, possibly even go regularly in-between Sundays. Beyond that, we may also faithfully have private daily devotions, too. Even more, we may also regularly attend Bible study. And, we may sincerely participate in a ministry program (teaching, missions, community work, etc.). Plus, in addition to doing all these things, we may have a very dedicated prayer life. What a shame if this were true…but our heart wasn’t given over to Christ and we weren’t in spiritual harmony with the Holy Spirit? After all, isn’t that what all those other things are all about? We could be so near, but so far away.

If we’re doing any…some…or all of these things, but life just isn’t what it’s cracked up to be; we may want to revisit our focus. None of this will bring life’s abundance, here or hereafter, if our heart isn’t fused with Jesus Christ.

Blessings Always in All Ways,

Steve <><