“Strip everything away ‘til all I have is You.”
“Pursuit” by Kim Walker
A few weeks ago, God removed something that I had been holding onto from me. For the next few weeks that followed, I had a selfish focus. I was concerned only with how life sucked for me and how I could make life better for myself.
Me. Me. Me.
I never once during that time considered how I could glorify God in the situation. I never once considered how I could bless the other person affected by the situation. I never once considered how I could bless other people since, you know, seeing how there are around seven billion people in this world, it is possible that other people had problems besides my small problem in my small world.
Tonight, I began to realize that God took that relationship away from me to open my eyes to my selfishness and bring me back to Him. Fully to Him. I mean, I had been with Jesus the entire 1 ½ months that I was in the relationship. My desire was for God. But without realizing it, I was beginning to pursue my relationship with the girl more than I was pursuing my relationship with Jesus.
At the same time, I was becoming selfish. I was more concerned with how I could make my life good rather than how I could glorify God. I was more concerned in how I could please myself more than how I could bless and love the people I saw every day.
That selfish attitude continued until tonight when I realized that Jesus is always the answer. I know that might sound like a cheesy Sunday school answer, but it’s true. Jesus is always the answer. As I pursue Him, He fills the void that I was trying to fill with a human relationship. As I pursue Jesus, my focus shifts so I can then glorify God and know that He is good regardless of my circumstances. As I pursue Jesus, my focus shifts so I can then have His eyes for the people around me and bless them instead of being concerned only with myself.
One day, after Jesus gives a teaching, many of the people who had been following Him decide to leave. After they leave, He turns to His 12 main disciples and asks them if they are going to leave, also. Peter speaks up and says, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68)
The more I run after other things and God strips those things away, the more I begin to relate with Peter. I see that nothing is better than Jesus. I see that there is no place I would rather be than in the presence of God.
Jesus really is always the answer. His presence really is always the best. His plans for you really are always the greatest. Trust Him. Let God strip everything away so that all you have is Him. Will it be hard? Yeah. But it will also be completely rewarding and completely satisfying.
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
Psalm 84:10
