One of my favorite movies ever is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. After watching this movie recently, I was reminded of the topic of my Bible study.
In the movie, after Harry, Ron and Hermione get back to their dorms after almost being eaten by a three-headed dog, Hermione looks at the boys and says, "I'm going to bed before either one of you comes up with another clever idea of getting us killed. Or worse - expelled." The camera flips back to Ron who heaves an exasperated sigh and mutters to Harry, "she needs to sort out her priorities."
My Bible study just studied some of the most convicting Bible verses I think there are in the entire Bible. Psalm 73: 25-26, "Whom have I in Heaven but You, oh Lord? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
WOW. WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW.
Go back and read that again, letting the words really sink in. Now read it again. WOW.
Whom have I in Heaven but YOU? Out of all the people in the world that we miss and will miss when the time comes; all those who have left this world and left us with an aching heart but are waiting for us on the other side - they mean NOTHING compared to God. Even if there was no one or nothing in Heaven but God the Father and Jesus, His son (which technically are the same being), that would be enough. We should not look forward to those who once resided on earth and now are in Heaven or Heaven itself; we look forward to God. Imagine it! Those pearly gates open and God Himself wraps you in a hug and says, "Welcome." Doesn't that trump everything else?! Priority number one to fix.
Earth has nothing I desire but You. I know to me, when I read this, I think, "well duh." But think about it. Is there anything on this earth you desire? Anything at all. Of course there is! But we are told to desire nothing but God. A verse to parallel this is Philippians 3:8 which reads, "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ." Think about what this verse says - our money, our family, our friends, our goals, hopes and dreams - garbage. How many things do we cling to that we cannot bear to let go of? Whatever we're hanging on to that doesn't deal with Christ, in the end it means nothing. A wise man by the name of Jim Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." You can't keep those worldly things you hold on to so tightly, but you cannot lose salvation through Christ! This also gives us hope, though. Even though it is somewhat of a slap in the face to realize the things you worry about so often mean nothing, it means that you can let go of those worries! God will provide for you. So, Earth has nothing I desire but You. Easier said than done, my friend. Priority number two to fix.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. First of all, what does portion mean here? God is your piece of the pie? Portion means allotment, allowance, ration or share. It is used in the literal sense of a share in food, clothing, or property along with figurative senses. So what does that mean to us? It means you need the nourishment of God. You cannot carry on without that portion of your life. Just as you need food and oxygen and water to live out your days, you need Jesus, too. God is your most important portion of the day, yet why is it the last thing on our minds? God is enough for you. God is all you'll ever need. We don't let it be enough, however. We always want more. When given only manna in the desert, we want a gourmet meal. But God knows that gourmet meal will be better served at a later time. Heaven is the best gourmet meal we can recieve. So while on earth, we trust in God to sustain us with manna until He decides it's time for steak and lobster. Is God enough for us? Do we trust only in Him? Priority number three to fix.
In going back to the example of Hermione telling the boys her first priority is not getting expelled, then she'll worry about death, she's right! We need not worry about death or other worldly things, but our first priority is making sure we please God so we can spend eternity with Him and not be expelled into hell. Ron is still right, but not about Hermione - he's right about us! We're the ones that need to sort out our priorities!
So I don't know about you, but I'm going to go fix my to-do list for today! And tomorrow. And the rest of my tomorrows.
God Bless!
ChristianKid
