June 8th, 2022

Who Are You Living For?

Luke 16:15 NLT

"Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God"

      Humans can be so ever-changing. We always seem to be chasing after the latest trend or the newest and best materialistic items. The problem here is that these things don't always align with the life we're called to live in Christ, though we sometimes chase them anyways. Why do we do this? Because more often than not, we are striving for acceptance from other people. For example, if we wear this trend of clothing, we will be seen as attractive and stylish. Or if we have the newest iPhone, we will look like we've got a good bit of money because we can afford the latest, most expensive cellular device. It's all a show, but we're not fooling God. While some things can be seemingly harmless if acted on out of the right motives, unlike the people we strive to impress, God reads out hearts. He sees what lengths we went to, to chase these trends. He knows if we're living for Him or living for the world. He knows where your motives lay. When we live for the newest, the greatest, the best, and the most expensive in the eyes of the world, we may be living righteously, but not in God's eyes. We are living righteously in the eyes of the world.

      God's standards and the world's standards are two completely different things. As Christians, we're called to live humbly, modestly, and compassionately through Christ and for our God. In the eyes of the world, we are called to live selfishly, extravagantly, and for ourselves. Do you see how these lifestyles clash? They're complete opposites! You see, the ways of the world are unattainable and ever-changing. We will never be good enough in the eyes of people no matter how hard we try. However, God's ways are attainable and will forever remain the same. When we live for God, we don't have to worry and stress over keeping up with the latest trend, or wondering how we're going to come up with the money to afford the newest and the best materialistic items out there. We can rest easy because His ways are better, His burden is light and His promises are endless.

I want to encourage you to evaluate your motives. Who are you living for? Do your motives align with God's word? What needs to change to achieve the righteousness God desires of us over the righteousness the world wants us to live in?