Living for Something Larger Than Ourselves

"And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15

"The way I see it, we ought to be expendable. In the military, we were taught that to obtain our objectives we had to be willing to be expendable. Missionaries must face that same expendability." - Nate Saint

"Such fatigues and hardship as these serve to wean me more from the earth; and, I trust, will make 

heaven the sweeter. Formerly, when I was thus exposed to cold, rain, etc., I was ready to please 

myself with the thoughts of enjoying a comfortable house, a warm fire, and other outward comforts; 

but now these have less place in my heart (through the grace of God) and my eye is more to God for 

comfort." - David Brainerd


These past few days I've seen a weakness in myself. I love comfort. That's not the weakness though. Where I find my comfort is. I look to circumstances--physical location, my schedule, my resources--to provide my feeling of comfort. Comfort is a good thing. But we need to go to the right place for our comfort. 

I've lived what some would call a charmed life. Why I've been so blessed, I'm not totally sure. I want to be grateful for those blessings. But I don't want to depend on them more than I depend on the One who gives them. 

I'm starting to see that my blessings should be a means to glorify God. God blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing and so that ultimately, the nations may give glory to God (Genesis 12:1-3). If I see my blessings that way, then I won't be offended when they are taken away. Because, just as my "plenty" is meant to glorify God, so is my "lacking." I want to have the courage to bear both. I want to be so dependent on God that neither fears nor sorrow, nor pleasures have sway on my soul. 

I'm not there yet. 

I keep praying to know the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:19), because I believe only then, when I am rooted in His love, will I have the trust to sustain me. 

I love Bethel's song, "Brave." Notice how most of the song describes God's love and character. It is only after the foundation of knowing Him is laid that bravery follows. 

The funny thing about all this, is that it's upside down. You'd think that chasing bravery would be a scary thing. You'd think that facing the prospect of losing material comforts would cause chills (and sometimes it does!). But the apostle Paul didn't see it that way. Paul saw it as a gift. "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." Jesus's death freed us from the bondage of living for ourselves. In Him, we are offered something much greater, much sweeter. We are offered the privilege of living for Him...Wow. 

Lord, let my heart be enraptured by the greatness of that reality.