Today's Reading
Luke 14
Luke 14:12-14
Then the turned to his host, "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet," he said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back and that will be your only reward. Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the glam and the blind. Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you."
Observation
The means by which we look at fulfillment is so far removed from the way God looks at it. Personal fulfillment is not about who likes us and who thinks we are powerful enough to come and be our friends, rather it is determined by who we give up our popularity for. It's not the popular thing to invite the lowly, the poor and the lame to be our friends.
Application
Building the kingdom of God is not about gaining personal recognition, finding my niche, or gaining security through popularity. Yet this often is a very real temptation. It's easy to turn the very work that God has called me to into an idol that validates me.
I have dealt with this temptation over and over. It's easy not to walk in the direction the Holy Spirit is leading because it may not gain me personal points now. I must remember, however that it's not the points in this life that matter as much. The earthly scoreboard can be such a grand illusion that is here today and gone tomorrow. It's heaven's scoreboard that really matters and the points don't come through human recognition, but through Gods.
Prayer
Heavenly father, let my priorities and my endeavors be focused on obeying you and not on the accolades of man. May my obedience and focus be on the things unseen, the things that last forever. In Jesus name!
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