e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g

  I was browsing a blog when I came across a three-minute video. "Oh, I have time," I thought. "Just three minutes, maybe I'll hear a good quote or something."

Or something.

I was about halfway into it when the speaker asked the question: "If everything was stripped away, and you were thrown into a prison cell, would Jesus Christ be enough for you?"

    I realize that the expected answer for the Christian is, "Oh, absolutely!"

But is that the honest answer?

    To be dreadfully blunt, I don't know if I could honestly respond that way. Is He truly everything to me? Have I completely surrendered my life? I have the desire to reach that point, but I'm not quite sure I'm there. So many priorities are jumbled up in my head, scrambling for the top spot...while the Lord of the Universe and Savior of my life is guiding me and waiting for me to realize that He is all that matters.


Everything.

      He.
          Is.
            Everything.


    And He commands my full attention, all my worship and praise ~ the very reason for my existence is to glorify Him in all that I do...or say...or think.

"Often the things that we think we can’t live without are the very things that are holding us back from living the life God has called us to." ~ Leslie Ludy

    And so here I'll state what I've stated before, and what I'm slowly truly learning myself...surrender is not a one-time thing. Over..and over...and over...every day. Every hour. Every minute. Purifying my thoughts, words, and actions and training my focus to remain on Jesus. Dying to self. Placing Jesus first, others second, myself last. Not with a lack of self-respect, which is in itself shunning God's creation, but with a servant's heart - finding abundant joy in living the will of God. Realizing that...

    In His presence everything else slowly fades away...all the things I thought were "so important" lose their attraction. Next to Him, what can compare?

    Oh, what matchless love. My heart is breaking...so many chances to shine His light that I've missed. So many times I've chosen something else over His presence. So many people that don't know.

If you're interested, here's the inspiration behind this post:

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