"A Familiar Place"

 "And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus ofttimes resorted thither with his disciples." (John 18:2 KJV)

  "I was thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." (Philippians 3:7-9 NLT)

 Getting back to the Preacher, Solomon, who had more riches than most, smaller current countries, currently have; for him, everything was absolutely meaningless and resulted in vanity! What that means, is that everything we think we own or that is ours, ends up, at one time or another, going to our heads, which makes us puffed up and think that we have earned something. 

 Not that we don't need to work, because we must all work to be better people and to show mercy, as we are all blessed by the mercy we have been given; but that we don't need to think our work is gaining us anything that we can take with us, as if any of these matters, matter, more than loving God! He alone is our refuge and our salvation; nothing on the earth can save us! 

 Anywho, this is meant to be the continuation of those last three words of yesterday's post: "Where are you", is really not the question, as if we need to figure something out; but it is the place we find ourselves in everyday life. No matter what you might think of yourself regarding your standing with God, you are only where you should be, when you are abiding in Christ! 

 Looking back at these many years of walking with the Lord, if I had to be totally honest, I would say that I have spent more time doing my own thing, outside of Christ, then I have doing what Christ would have me to do, abiding in Him. Whether or not that is true, that I don't think will be totally clear to me until I stand before Christ. Most of the things I have done through Christ, I take no credit for them, and they slip my mind; but those things that I did wrong, they continually cloud my mind! 

 We all pretty much have one thing in common, our flesh! As long as we are living here on this earth, our flesh will be continually needing to be cared for, in some form or fashion, (no pun intended). It is sometimes hard to go through any day, without thinking about something that we need to do for ourselves, whether it be nutritional, physical, or metal, we live and die caring for those things we need to sustain ourselves, naturally and without even thinking about doing it. 

 It just is life, here, under the sun... 

""That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life - whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? "So don't worry about these things, saying, 'What will we eat? What shall we drink? What shall we wear?' These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need."" (Matthew 6:25-33 NLT)