It’s Friday…Flip The Switch

I was vacuuming out my car the other day and I began to analyze what this machine was actually doing. My not so scientific mind learned the following: a vacuum cleaner is always pulling, sucking, drawing in whatever it can. Its direction is inward. Other objects like a fan or a leaf blower may blow outward, giving off rather than blowing in, but there is nothing outward about the vacuum. It’s constantly trying to fill an empty space.

By nature – our fallen nature, that is – we’re like vacuum cleaners. We suck. We’re suckers. We’re always trying to get what’s outside of us and bring it into our own territory. We’re always trying to fill an empty space by attracting things to ourselves – relationships, possessions, positions, achievements, interesting experiences, and too much more. We’re accumulators trying to fill our lives up, trying to grab life wherever we can get it. There are even people around us, that if we let them, will suck the life out of us. It’s part of the fallen human nature.

“Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.” (Luke 9:24)

Jesus told His followers that’s not the way to true life and living. In fact, sucking chokes the life from us, it leads to death, or at least a sense of deadness that keeps us feeling empty. The way to living life to the full is altogether different; it’s to stop trying to grab life and instead become a giver of it. We forget about ourselves and invest in others. We become God-focused rather than self-focused. We are more intent on giving than receiving. That’s The Kingdom culture. That’s true life and living.

Martyrdom is one example of a sacrificial life that gives for the sake of others, and specifically for the sake of God, but Jesus was referring to more than martyrdom. He was referring to our direction. Are we pulling in or flowing out? Are we our own center of gravity, or do we revolve around Him and others? Are we desperately trying to save our lives, our own interests – grabbing lifegiving things and experiences – or are we willingly offering lifegiving support to those around us? One way leads to death, and the other to life as it was meant to be according to God’s Word.

Let’s learn to flow outward. Let’s forget about grabbing everything we can. Let’s not pursue our own fulfillment, whether in people, places, possessions, positions, or anything else. Let’s Flip The Switch that changes the direction of our flow, and experience life coming into us from above. Life is too short to do it any other way. Agree?

Have a life-giving weekend. Make it better by worshiping The Lord with those who live to give, because they know intimately who the ultimate Giver of Life is.

All For Jesus – Nothing More, Nothing Less, Nothing Else.

“He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, The King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:15b-16)