Not Wanting a Better Life

I wish I had some more time to unpack this, but I know I need to keep blog post short and not be a long winded pastor…lol

But, here it is: I don’t want a better life.

Through taking personal inventory in my life and helping others through counseling, I’ve found that when the goal is to have a better life, we sometimes get to a place where the ends justifies the means and we’ll do anything to make it “better”.

The Apostle Paul said (from prison btw):
Philippians 1:21 (NKJV) – For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Death isn’t having a better life. It’s not having life at all. However, being in prison and being persecuted for living for Christ was more about Paul’s steadfast character and consistent worship towards his Savior than the condition of his circumstances. Real quick, I’ve noticed when our overall drive is to “have” a better life we’ll:

• Pacify a conflict quickly, rather than resolve it with time and effort
• Lie our way out of a situation, rather that working our way through a situation
• Throw money at a problem, rather that wisely investing in the solution
• Hoard everything and everyone, rather than living generous and selfless
• Quit and abandon the mission because it’s too hard, rather than perserving and seeing it through the tough times

No one ever promised that life would be easy, but it’s worth it. I want to “live” a better life, not just have (possess) a better life. I want to “be” better not have better. All of our possessions will fade away, so let’s set our minds on eternal things. It’s not that God doesn’t care about your circumstances, because He certainly does. However, God is more interested in developing your character than He is your comfort in the moment. The truth is that if you “live” a better life, you will eventually bear good fruit and have a better life anyway.