What is the Object of The Symphony of Your Life?

                                                                    Matthew 13:44-46


Have you ever felt the terror of being stuck in traffic fifteen minutes from  home when your show is about to start in five? You have to fight the urge to run old ladies and school buses off the road in your frantic attempt to make it home before you miss something important. I have actually prayed till blood flowed that God would translate me home so I would not be late. Ok well not blood, but maybe a little pee since I drank too much water that day. For me it is anything DC Comics related on the CW that gets my blood pumping. In fact, tonight I have to work at my second job at Toys R Us which conflicts with the season finally of the Flash. I have actually thought about calling in or simply quitting in order to make sure I'm home for that momentous event. Don't judge me, you all know that you feel the same way. Whether it be the Season Finally of the Bachelor, Jersey Shore or Greys Anatomy everyone has their own particular vice. The thing is we waste so much of our lives on such trivial things. What?? I know it just doesn't seem right that ME Jason Kiefer would refer to the season finally of the Flash as "trivial". The truth is that it really is. As much as we love our trappings they are after all just simply that, entertainment. They provide no lasting value in our lives. They can not cure cancer or solve world hunger. Neither can our Facebook and twitter posts; but, that's a discussion for another time.

Now don't get me wrong I am a story teller and I understand the importance of stories to inspire and help us understand things we might not normally. In fact, Jesus often spoke in parable which are simply stories that are used to teach spiritual principles. Where as God has often used the Justice League to personally talk to me, I do realize that such things can take up way to much of my life. Moreover, what I eat, where I am going to live, what I wear, who does or does not like me and pretty much anything else that involves this life takes up way to much of all of our time and energy. There is a very powerful and true saying that I have often quoted: "What you spend your time on you purchase with your life." What have you been purchasing with your life? I know that when I look back at what I have bought with the five dollar bill that is my life I see that most of it is completely worthless. I can name for you almost everyone of Batman's villains; but, can I find the right scripture to help minister to a hurting person? I know everyone of Aragorn's titles; but, can I hear the Lord when he calls in the deep place of my heart? I think, that we spend way to much of our life's currency purchasing things that just simply do not matter. Yes, entertainment has value; but, the quantities that we purchase of them are way out of balance.

 Let me put it to you a different way. If you had a choice between the presence of God and an extra hour of sleep a day, which would you choose? Well that's an easy one, the presence of God of course. How stupid am I to ask you such a question; and yet, how many of us simply hit the snooze button every morning when we have set aside that time to pray. I know I am notorious for that. In fact, not since bible school have I been able to actually not hit the snooze button. I purchased one more hour of sleep with my life instead of one hour of the presence of God. Let me ask you this, if you had set aside a specific time for your spouse everyday and you choose to take a nap instead during that time, do you think you would still be married? If you were, you would most likely not recognize that your spouse was seriously unhappy that you felt a nap was more important to you then them. We do this to God all the time. We skip church, we skip our prayer time, we go back on our commitments to Him and then we expect God to simply understand. Don't get me wrong, He does love us anyway and continues to pursue us anyway; but, I bet we break his heart every time.

I have never been able to work out consistently and have struggled with my weight because of it. Recently I have become much more consistent in this area. What has changed? Well my son has finally grown old enough to work out with me and he is very excited about it. In fact, every time I skip out on my obligation to him he gets very disappointed. That look on his face when he is hurt and disappointed breaks my heart and makes me not want to ever go back on my word to him again. It was through this very dad experience that I realized that I do that to God often. Every time I choose something other then God I tell Him by my actions that what ever it is I would rather do is more important to me then Him. In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus gives us the parable of the Hidden treasure and the Pearl.  We have often looked at this parable as one that refers to how much God loves us; but, it is referring not to how much He loves us but rather how much we love Him. The truth is that He is the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure. Jesus is what life is all about and nothing in both the eternal life or the earthly temporal life that we could ever pursue is worth more then He is. There is nothing both eternal or temporal that can satisfy but Him.  People we all sacrifice the things that are eternal for the things that are temporal. We all choose this life over God. There is more to loving this earthly life more then God then just the idea that you would die for God if it was asked of you. In fact, it is harder to live ones daily life choosing God over the temporal joys of this earthly life then it is to literally physically die for Him. To die is but a moment in ones life; whereas, to live is all of the moments of your life combined into one symphony. What is the object of the symphony of your life?