priorities...

I think you can tell a lot about a person based on their priorities. How do we prioritize those things important to us? A person's typical list usually goes something like God (depending on belief system), family and friends with career and hobbies falling in behind. That's the safe list to recite without ridicule. Sometimes our actions don't line up with what we're saying. That's not to say our intentions aren't good, but sometimes our own pride or subconscious motives take over and distract us from the original path.

I've been thinking about my own priorities a lot. What is important to me? And if those people/things are really important to me, why am I putting them so low on the totem pole? A guest speaker spoke in church today with an awesome illustration that has switched my whole perspective..

Stuart Hall introduce three plastic bins, the largest labeled "you." Inside of "you" was a smaller box "sin." This is how we are born... we are born bad. We have a selfish, sinful nature. Galatians 5:16 says... "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." Awesome... if I live by the Spirit I can avoid this sinful nature. But how do we live by the Spirit? As a Christian, God took the sin out of me and put Christ in. Hall removed the "sin" bin and placed a "Christ" bin inside the "you" bin. In 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 we can see God has reconcile us to himself through Christ. How can we be more like God? With Christ inside of us! Nothing really new right? Ok here comes my aha moment...

Colossians 2:9-10 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."

We (or maybe just I) spend so much time asking for more of Christ... We go to church or read the bible or pray asking for more of God to make us better... to make us more like Him. In reality... He is already in us... in full... We just need to remove the crud to let his light shine through us. That silly kid's song hiding the light under the bushel... sometimes our light of Christ is covered by all of the mess, but He didn't go anywhere. We don't need more of Christ... we need less of the junk that is blocking His light in us.

As much as I know faith has never been about good works, I still find some relief in recognizing Christ is in me... in all the fullness. I can't do anything to gain more of Him or to lose Him. Of course that doesn't mean I'm finished. I want you to be able to see Christ in me. Can you see Christ's light in me?

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:13-16