Sugar or Aspartame?
Something God has been teaching me lately is how to have a strong relationship with Him and depend upon Him while also living in the world, otherwise known as modern day America. Throughout my life, I’ve asked God to clarify this teaching because it’s something that is hard for me to wrap my head around.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
I used to overthink the small things. Does God want me to drink this diet drink? Would he prefer me to have a regular soda? Would He rather me drink real sugar or aspartame? Yes, I would assign moral value to sodas. That began to cloud my view of God. I was in my head so much about the small details that I would never think about the bigger details. Now, there is something to be said about the small details, but not in the same sense. This thought pattern stretched across every aspect of my life. I overanalyzed everything, which led me to become distracted.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” - Matthew 7: 24-27 NIV
Jesus was telling the crowd to build their foundation on Him. Our foundation affects the rest of our building, or in our case as humans, our life. Our fruit, which could be compared to the “little things” in life, will be affected by our foundation. Therefore, if we try to change the fruit and not the foundation, it simply will not work.
God has taught me that my foundation needs to be in Him in order for my will to align with His will for my life. He will work out the small details in my life that matter. I can’t worry about those. If tomorrow comes and I decide I want to never drink a diet drink again, then I will be a Christian whose foundation is in God, and I simply don't like diet drinks. The same goes for bigger decisions like picking our jobs. There is a lot of stock put into what we do with our day-to-day lives, mostly because of how much time is spent doing them. God calls us all, as believers, to ministry. So no matter the occupation, we can have a strong foundation in Him within that field, and we can do what all believers are called to do and share the good news with others.
JOURNAL: What are some things you can do to build a strong foundation in the Lord?
PRAYER PROMPT: Ask God to help you build the foundation of your life on Him and only Him.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.
I used to overthink the small things. Does God want me to drink this diet drink? Would he prefer me to have a regular soda? Would He rather me drink real sugar or aspartame? Yes, I would assign moral value to sodas. That began to cloud my view of God. I was in my head so much about the small details that I would never think about the bigger details. Now, there is something to be said about the small details, but not in the same sense. This thought pattern stretched across every aspect of my life. I overanalyzed everything, which led me to become distracted.
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” - Matthew 7: 24-27 NIV
Jesus was telling the crowd to build their foundation on Him. Our foundation affects the rest of our building, or in our case as humans, our life. Our fruit, which could be compared to the “little things” in life, will be affected by our foundation. Therefore, if we try to change the fruit and not the foundation, it simply will not work.
God has taught me that my foundation needs to be in Him in order for my will to align with His will for my life. He will work out the small details in my life that matter. I can’t worry about those. If tomorrow comes and I decide I want to never drink a diet drink again, then I will be a Christian whose foundation is in God, and I simply don't like diet drinks. The same goes for bigger decisions like picking our jobs. There is a lot of stock put into what we do with our day-to-day lives, mostly because of how much time is spent doing them. God calls us all, as believers, to ministry. So no matter the occupation, we can have a strong foundation in Him within that field, and we can do what all believers are called to do and share the good news with others.
JOURNAL: What are some things you can do to build a strong foundation in the Lord?
PRAYER PROMPT: Ask God to help you build the foundation of your life on Him and only Him.
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