Get off the chair
In his book Half Time, Bob Buford writes that one only realises by about age 40 that life does end sometime. When you realise that, it forces you to consider how you want to live the rest of your life. He uses the example of a sports match with two halves with halftime in the middle. In the changing rooms at halftime you evaluate the first half and plan how you will play in the second half.
In the first half of your life you focus on yourself a lot. We try to get a good job, we work to get a family started and to have enough to enjoy life to the full. I, myself and my needs sit squarely on the chair and other people are completely out of my sights.
And this is precisely where the young Christians in Corinth are. They only think about themselves. Their own needs and preferences are the most important and they will defend this to the utmost. 1... I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. 3As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything is going your way?
They even put their own needs before the will of God. Their own will decided the direction of their lives. This was not what God had intended for them. And that is why they fought. Instead of spending time on the things that God had planned for them, they wasted time trying to decide who of their instructors were the most important. Was it Paul or was it Apollos?
But we shouldn’t point fingers at the guys from Corinth too quickly. Because when we look back on our own lives, we must ask ourselves how much we spend on ourselves and what is important to us. How much energy do we spend helping others? How much time do we spend getting to know the will of God?
I bow my head in shame and softly say: I am guilty, Your Honour.
Bob Buford tells how he had decided at halftime to spend less time on the own self during the second part of his life and to focus more on others. He quotes George Bernard Shaw: “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die ...”
Life is so much more than the own self. When the own self only gets up, a handbrake is unknowingly pulled up, preventing you from living life to the full. You deprive yourself of so much and the apparent happiness that you pursue and experience is so far removed from the real thing. Therefore, I want to challenge you to loosen the handbrake on your life. Chase the own self from the chair and put your neighbour there. Live for your neighbour, because then you are living precisely according to God’s will for your life. Real joy and happiness will bowl you over.
Reflection
How much of my time is spent on myself sitting on the chair?
How much energy do I spend on helping others?
How much time do I spend getting to know the will of God?
Have a good day!
Shalom!
Gerjo Ben
In the first half of your life you focus on yourself a lot. We try to get a good job, we work to get a family started and to have enough to enjoy life to the full. I, myself and my needs sit squarely on the chair and other people are completely out of my sights.
And this is precisely where the young Christians in Corinth are. They only think about themselves. Their own needs and preferences are the most important and they will defend this to the utmost. 1... I’m completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. 3As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything is going your way?
They even put their own needs before the will of God. Their own will decided the direction of their lives. This was not what God had intended for them. And that is why they fought. Instead of spending time on the things that God had planned for them, they wasted time trying to decide who of their instructors were the most important. Was it Paul or was it Apollos?
But we shouldn’t point fingers at the guys from Corinth too quickly. Because when we look back on our own lives, we must ask ourselves how much we spend on ourselves and what is important to us. How much energy do we spend helping others? How much time do we spend getting to know the will of God?
I bow my head in shame and softly say: I am guilty, Your Honour.
Bob Buford tells how he had decided at halftime to spend less time on the own self during the second part of his life and to focus more on others. He quotes George Bernard Shaw: “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die ...”
Life is so much more than the own self. When the own self only gets up, a handbrake is unknowingly pulled up, preventing you from living life to the full. You deprive yourself of so much and the apparent happiness that you pursue and experience is so far removed from the real thing. Therefore, I want to challenge you to loosen the handbrake on your life. Chase the own self from the chair and put your neighbour there. Live for your neighbour, because then you are living precisely according to God’s will for your life. Real joy and happiness will bowl you over.
Reflection
How much of my time is spent on myself sitting on the chair?
How much energy do I spend on helping others?
How much time do I spend getting to know the will of God?
Have a good day!
Shalom!
Gerjo Ben