lose the but

Galatians 5: 7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?

 

I read a C.S. Lewis quote this morning that reminded me of this Scripture. “ The surest way of spoiling a pleasure is to start examining your satisfaction” . You were running a good race….who cut in on you? Often the answer is you cut in on yourself. If you are a runner then you know that the worst thing you can do is to start worrying about your breathing, you start to over think it, then you are all off rhythm. Better yet one we can all relate to, have you found yourself in the middle of one of the best times of your life, you are surrounded by friends, life is good….but then you cut in on yourself, you start thinking about how good of a time you are having, and what you could do to make it even better….the good time starts to slip away. What is someone were to ask you how things are going for you? Typically the answer is good, or even great….but…..I do not remember where I heard it, but someone once said that anything that comes before the word but, does not count. You start to examine, you start to pick, you start to convince yourself that yes life is good, times are great….but….you want more. It throws you off rhythm, it spoils the pleasure, you rob yourself of the gift.

 

So is our relationship with Christ. You can be running the good race, you can be having the time of your life, you can be the happiest you have ever been…..but. That little three letter word takes us form following Christ, to trying to get Christ to follow us. Could you imagine? Hey Lord, thanks for all you do,….. but. Man Lord, this is such a great moment In my life….but. God I know you want me to go here…..but. We go from enjoying the gift, the joy, or the happiness we have been given, and turn it in to want. We are no longer taking the blessings, we are running right over them, in a hurry to request more.   Make no mistake about it, yes, there are people in the world that will try to cut in on you and throw you off pace in this race; but none will interfere as often, or get tangled up with you as much, as you do with yourself.   There is an old cowboy saying that states “the person that that will give you the most trouble every day, watches you shave (or brush your teeth for the women) every morning. We keep ourselves form obeying the truth, by obeying our wants, and desires, instead of following, accepting, and enjoying the Lord’s wants, and desires. You might be thinking whoa whoa whoa Brian! I don’t get that crazy with it, it is not that big of a deal. It is not like I am requesting the world. It is not like I am turning my back on the Lord. To that I would say you are right, and Paul would agree.  Paul did not ask why are you turning your back on the Lord. He is asking why you are off pace. I would say that none of us are asking for the world, but I would say we sometimes ask for what the world wants. We want simply put, more. More money, more fun, more friends, more. Guess what? Sometimes, more…is just more.

 

Now I am not saying we should all just be happy with what we have, put ourselves in a little box, and call it a day. No, God has far more in store for us than a little box, on a shelf, that the world has created. What I am saying is we get ourselves off pace trying to show the Lord what we want, instead of searching for what He needs from us. We want more fun, He wants us to have more life. We want more friends, He wants to be our best friend. We would be happy if we just had……Christ has shown us with Him, we can be beyond happy no matter what we have. Run the race, and simply enjoy the run. Enjoy the blessing, the good time, the friends, the stuff, and leave the but out of the equation. Live in the right here, right now. Quit cutting in on yourself, quit spending the time examining your satisfaction, Live it. Each moment you waste thinking of “but if I just had” is a moment of right now you will never get back. This moment, right now, is something I do not think any of us really want to give up. Take it, use it, run the race.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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The Ridge Fellowship

 

Psalm22