My mother-in-law always says that she is "living the vapor". Over the past two weeks this has been ringing in my heart. I have been awakened in the middle of the night by the thought of death and examining how I live day-to-day. The scripture that comes to mind is Matthew 16:26. "For what does a man profit, if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? Or what will a man give as an exchange for his soul?"
I have quoted the first part of Matthew 16:26 many times. The real question is, "what have I given in exchange for my soul". I have been asking myself hard questions because in the end we will not take anything with us. As believers, we should be living to get God!
Are we living everyday knowing our life is just a vapor?
I understand more and more everyday Matthew 6: 25. “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matthew 6:33-34 reads "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
How do we get to this reality? How do we stop worrying about temporary stuff? How do we really seek the Kingdom of God first, when there are so many things fighting for our affections? How do we not worry about tomorrow, when we have a three or five month vision?
Matthew 6 breaks it down for us.
1. Do what you do for God!
When we reach out beyond ourselves without any recognition and without expecting anything in return, there is a blessing in it for us. The Father will reward us for what we do in secret. We tend to want more money, more friends, more platforms, etc. because we want to be seen as successful. We should be doing everything we do for Christ.
2. Go in the room, shut the door and pray.
I just watched the movie War Room. It was a great movie and really reminded me about the power of seeking the Father in secret. We must have our own relationship with the Father! We learn how to seek the Kingdom by going in the room, closing the door and pressing into the place of prayer. The Father will show us what is important to Him. I strongly believe if we submit our plans and daily schedule to Him, we would not feel as overwhelmed. Prayer helps us to take it one day at a time. All we need is our "daily bread".
3. Fast secretly
I love corporate fasting but there is great reward when we fast secretly. The Corporate fast is for a corporate breakthrough & vision. Our individual fast is for our personal growth in Christ. Fasting helps the flesh walk in self-control. I can confess this is something that I have struggled with. It is hard for me to fast consistently but when you train your flesh in secret to walk in self-control, it will be easy to walk in self-control when tempted openly. When I am fasting I can hear clearer and I can feel the presence of God throughout the day. I can also handle the cares of life better. So I encourage you and myself:) to fast.
4. Give Out
The more you give the more you receive! (Luke 6:38) You see how blessed you are when you are giving out to others around you. When you are selfish and self absorbed, you miss the goodness of the Lord all around you.
5. Watch what has your attention because it has your heart.
What you behold you will become. The company you keep will become who you are. What you have your eyes on will become your God. If you are looking to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of your faith, you will become more like Him.
6. Know who your God is and serve Him alone.
We have so many things in this world fighting for our heart, fighting for our thoughts, fighting for our gifts, fighting for our love and affection. We must know we serve Jesus Christ. He gave it all for us! In return He ask us to love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul. (Matthew 22:37). You can not love God and the world. We have to make a choice.
Remember tomorrow is not promised. What are you doing with the vapor you have been given? For me, I do not want to be remembered for my material possessions. I do not want to be remembered for graduating high school, getting a college degree and pink being my favorite color. I want to be remembered for the way I loved the Father and the way I loved people. I want to be known for seeking first the Kingdom of God. What will you be remembered for? Keep in mind we are in the world but not of the world.
Let's serve Jesus Christ with the end in mind!
James 4:14(NKJV) "whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."
