Who's a BIG Deal? Is Jesus the Answer to Life and Love? What about Suffering?
The Lies of our Culture and Time and the Truth for All Time.
Who’s a BIG Deal?
We’re supposed to be trying to be a big deal in life, right? A big social media influencer, a big musician, a big author, writer, business owner, sports player, etc.
Most of us do not reach this world’s definition of a big deal - but what about those who do? How big of a deal is someone who is a big deal? How much weight does human legacy offer for eternal life and salvation? Who determines who’s a big deal? Majority? No. Not according to the Bible.
According to the Bible, God determines who is a big deal - and He, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are THE BIG DEAL.
But we get caught up, don’t we? Wouldn’t it be nice to be a big deal to someone somewhere? To lots of someones and lots of somewheres. Why? Because we want to matter. We want our words to matter, our actions to matter, our life to matter. Nothing is wrong with wanting to matter. Where we go wrong is how we go about trying to matter in this world…who we step on, who we step over, who we care about and who we don’t. What matters eternally? If we reach big deal status (I’m not in any danger of that :), then how much of a big deal is actually a big deal?
If we don’t know Jesus or believe his words are truth, then the lies sound like truth and the truth sounds like lies.
Lies
You will find your greatest self in your sexuality.
You will find your greatest self in your career.
You will find your greatest self in your business.
You will find your greatest self in beauty, fitness, youthfulness, health, and diet.
You will find your greatest self in fame, fortune, power, influence, or control.
You will find your greatest self in another person - spouse, partner, friend, family, children.
You will find your greatest self in a religion or in a religious building.
You will find your greatest self in drugs, alcohol, any and/or all hallucinogens.
You will find your greatest self in what you believe in or don’t believe in.
More of you, less of everyone else.
You will find your greatest self in how you act, what you say, what you do and what you don’t.
Your greatest self will be found in how you love.
Truth
You will find your greatest self in the person of Jesus Christ.
Less of you - more of Him.
You will find your greatest self in fulfilling whatever Jesus has spoken to your heart, mind, and spirit to do for Him and with Him.
Your greatest self will be found in how Jesus loves you.
Counter-Culture Jesus and Spirituality
Good things do not mean they are the greatest things.
The Jesus of the Bible is not necessarily the Jesus of the churches today - although may be, depending on the church leader.
Spirituality does not always include Jesus in our culture. Demons are spiritual too. And many people worship the gods/goddesses/witches/people - the created things as their god and ultimate greatest pursuit. If it’s not Jesus, it’s not God, Yahweh. The only God - the only creator. If it’s not worship of God, the creator, then it’s worship of the created things. That’s choosing lesser created powers as god including demonic (fallen angels) and ignoring God as God.
Our greatest self will never be found in created things, including our self. We won’t become more us, by doing more of what we feel is good, feels good, or feels powerful. God is clear. He is the only true God and we will only be truly our greatest self in the person of Jesus Christ, fully God and fully human, his only son.
What does that mean? We are nothing without Jesus. We accomplish nothing eternal without Jesus. We will always be searching for more, without Jesus. We will always be empty without Jesus. Choosing any of the lies as our fulfillment will only temporarily fill our cup - then it will empty again. Truth stands. Lies do not. Our cup is filled with Jesus alone. And we don’t always feel good in this life. And it’s not always exciting. And it’s not always fun. And we don’t always get what we think we want in this life - and when we do, it’s not always what we thought we wanted.
Suffering will be a part of this life. Suffering will only end when Jesus comes back. Our best life, our greatest self will be in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, eternal life. Everything else is a lie, a temporary hit of joy, a temporary moment that has finite meaning and fulfillment.
Is this wrong? Is Jesus really the answer to love and life?
This is what the Bible teaches - what Jesus teaches. The truth is for everyone to find out in their own walk on earth.
The Bible teaches that in the last days, people will decide the Anti-Christ, the last one, is the true Messiah - the true Jesus and follow his ways. We are not quite there yet. The Bible says many anti-christs come before then - in one form or another. Eventually, we all choose one way or the other.
It’s less controversial to believe almost anything else. Doesn’t that make it worth looking into? If it’s okay to believe anything else other than the words and person of Jesus Christ - then might that just be the battle between good and evil?
I hope you find your greatest self. We are not perfect, nor can we be. Life will not be perfect either. But our hope is in the perfect world to come with those that have joined to a perfect King, Jesus.
The battle here feels long to me - and I’m tired. Maybe it feels shorter for others. But my hope is that vindication will come for all those suffering mentally, physically, and spiritually in this life - and our joy will be in the coming of Jesus Christ and all that is promised to those who believe.
And I hope your battle here doesn’t make you think that suffering is for the weak, the lesser, the sinner. Look through the Bible; those that suffered long and hard battles were the powerful, the strong, the great, and the forgiven in spirit.
Great and mighty and lofty and high - are terms for God in the Bible. People acting like this are just acting. Spiritual beings acting like they are God are just acting. It’s a lie. God is the only high and lofty one. God’s people suffer. This world is Satan’s, so how can we not? We are not of this world. This is a journey to the next world, the eternal world. We are not welcome in a world of Satanic powers and destruction and destroying spirits. Jesus was not welcome here either.
If you have joined up with Jesus, welcome to not being welcome in this world! Our best days are coming.