We can’t have it all.
The bible says this in many ways: you cannot have two masters; choose this day who you’re going to serve; deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me (Jesus).
In life many decisions are trade offs, they are mutually exclusive: if you want one thing that means saying no to another. This is part of a finite physical world.
In Christianity this is just as true. The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure that’s worth selling everything to acquire. The rich young ruler was told to sell everything and follow. The merchant sold all of his stock to acquire the pearl of great value.
Jesus is pretty clear that it’s him or the world, we can’t serve both. We are citizens of heaven, aliens & sojourners travelling through this world.
Yet we don’t live that way…
We don’t live in tents, we live in palaces. We go about our lives earning money, raising families, buying cars, clothes, houses, devices streaming shows, consuming content scrolling… from the outside not much looks different, from the inside is there a difference in us at all? (I hope so)
We’re not satisfied, we scroll social media, binge content, play video games for hours, we pursue pleasure, identity, significance everywhere but the source… we immerse in the world, end up sad and wonder why.
I started with “we can’t have it all” - which isn’t exactly true, because in Christ we do, in fact, HAVE IT ALL, yet we act like we don’t. We a children of the creator of the universe, co-heirs with Christ.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore”
Psalm 16:11
“I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”
Phil 3:8-10
We have been given eternity, forgiveness of all our sins, THE INDEWELLING OF GOD HIMSELF! What more could we ask for, want or pursue!?
I write this as a challenge to myself and anyone who reads it.
“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15