"THROW OUT CATALOG"

            "What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but 

            Lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for"       

                                   M A T T H E W 16 : 26    

            Suppose life was like a mail-order catalog, and could just flip through the pages, selecting everything your heart desired: computers, cars, clothes, fancy vacations, fame, money, power no limits. Only the day your order was delivered, it came with a bill that said, "Payment required: Your eternal soul," Would you still place the order? Lots of people do. But they don't fully understand the trade they're making. To begin with, the catalog is a rip-off. It will never deliver in full anyway. And even if it did, no amount of stuff would ever satisfy your soul's restless longing for Me.  

            Christian are commanded to lose their lives. This means they ought deliberately release their lives to God and His kingdom. One of the greatest hindrances to your being on mission with God will be your view of what constitutes your legitimate rights" that is those things thar you feel you have a right to experience and enjoy. It's not difficult to turn over to christ those things that are not sacrifice or you would prefer to do without anyway. Rather, it is the things that are good and that are dear to you that may stand between you and God's will.

             It's good to be near your grown children and grandchildren, for example, but God may want you to go to another city or continent on mission with Him. It's good to get adequate rest, but you may receive a call of distress. In the middle of the night. You may assume that you have a right to certain material things, yet God may ask you to release all of your possessions to Him and His purposes (Matt.19:21).     

             Jesus modeled perfectly this attitude toward life. He had a legitimate right to enjoy the comforts of heaven. Yet He did not look at it as a right He shoukd hold on to; nor did He see leaving all that was His as a sacrifice too codtly to make (Phil. 2:5-11). As a result, God highly exalted Him and brought salvation to a broken world. 

             Has the world convinced you that there are certain rights that you must protect? Are you trying to save your life? Have you noticed that in so doing, you are actually losing the life God wants you to have. So throw out the world catalog and open up the pages of My plan for you the Bible. My love delivers what it promises!