Out of Touch

It’s a terrible place to be when you finally determine you are out of touch with the present. The modern world likes to use the word “woke”, but I’m not talking about this. This is a more personal view of space and time.

We’ve all been there. Dazed gaze, we shake ourselves, reenter the present time and realize the disconnection with what’s happening around you.

The past few weeks have included some downtime due to a sinus infection. I’ve not missed church or family needs due to the illness, but in this cooler climate, I’ve not stepped through my property with my dog. She’s missed me. I’ve missed it. So. We did it this morning. 39 degrees, no wind, little moisture in the air, and what a grand time we had.

As we walked the familiar paths, I began to notice the rocks that were coming to the surface as is normal. During this season I often carry a sharpshooter shovel and work the ones pointing to the sky. They are tripping and mowing hazards. I’ll move them later, hopefully, before the grass springs eternal and hides them. Until next winter.

Over there, a tree has died (neighbors property) and it’s beginning to drop limbs over the fence, on the fence, and I’ll be sad if it ever comes down into my trees. There’s already one that’s creamed one of his side fences.

Suddenly, it came to me. If we fail to scope out our personal spot in this world, we will miss the things that need our attention. Something is in decline, and it needs our assistance. Another thing is in decay and it needs to be removed before it affects other areas. (Think tooth decay!)

Decline and Decay, Getting Left Behind

When your property lines of life are huge, it is easy to miss the obvious things that need your attention. A large business may be nice to own, but issues are easily overlooked. I personally know a man who had a printing business. The technology was changing, and unless he kept up then his business would fold. It collapsed under the changing climate of how to print something as simple as a flyer.

This affects all of us!

Someone I know bought shares of Braniff Airlines stock just before the company declared bankruptcy. Back then, someone bought a car that was going to revolutionize the world, only to see it become the laughing stock. I still think the AMC Gremlin is a great car!

This morning I’m thinking about all the ways we get behind the 8-ball, curveball, and wildly thrown pitch! Duck!

How do we allow this to happen?

Perhaps it’s because we own too much, have too much clutter, or our schedules do not allow us to maintain that which we once thought important.

The Rich Young Man

This was not a parable, but a true-to-life event. A young man, who is never identified, nor was he called “rich”, but we’ve all assumed he must have had great possession. Thus. He was rich.

Do we count ourselves rich when we are loaded with much stuff?

Well. This young man stopped Jesus and had a conversation. (Matthew 19:16-22) Imagine this conversation in today’s world!

“Teacher, what good deed should I do to gain eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, obey the commandments.”
“Which commandments?” the man asked.
Jesus said, “Never murder, commit adultery, steal, give false testimony. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” [From the 10 Commandments]
The young man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do?”
Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he owned a lot of property.

Notice something here. He’s done everything the Law commanded him, but Jesus knew there is more to life than just obeying the law.

For me, I call it having a heart for this world and living with a better attitude.

The law was not there just to rigidly put you into a mold, rather, it was there to give you a foundation to springboard your life forward. For this young man, his stuff was keeping him back! Why? Stuff requires focus, and when your focus is on stuff, then you fail to serve God with all you have!’

Godly Principle Revealed

You must go back to the founding teachings of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5-7). Jesus lays out his case for how we should be living.

He gives us the Beatitudes (how to be blessed), teaches us how to be Salt and Light, and a host of other topics.

But then he says that he came to fulfill (complete) the Law. In other words, he was giving his focus to satisfying the requirements of the Law that Israel had lived by for centuries. The life we are to live is to exceed the righteousness that even the Scribes and Pharisees exhibited.

In other words, there’s a better way to live!

When he wrapped up his teaching, there were some astonished folks!

And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings,
the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
(Matthew 7:28-29 KJV)

Catch the focus? He had authority. Just before his time on earth is finished, and as he is giving the Great Commission that Christians hear repeated often, Jesus gave us his Preamble.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
(Matthew 28:18 KJV)

His power is absolute. Our following his teaching is not a “pick and choose” option, rather, it becomes our focus. Stuff no longer matters. Why?

One Last Thought

This time, Jesus is teaching a parable, which is simply a story with a moral or spiritual lesson. It may come from true events, or at least from some storyline that sounds familiar to the hearer.

Imagine hearing Jesus talk about the issue of having too much stuff.

Then he used this illustration.
He said, “A rich man had land that produced good crops. He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’ He said, ‘I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones so that I can store all my grain and goods in them. Then I’ll say to myself, “You’ve stored up a lot of good things for years to come. Take life easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”‘ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight! Now who will get what you’ve accumulated?’
That’s how it is when a person has material riches
but is not rich in his relationship with God.”
(Luke 12:16-21 GW)

Catch his relationship statement? The focus on stuff takes away your attention on God! The stuff we own or want, takes priority and when you have too much of it, in reality, some of it will decline (in value or position) or it will decay (lack of maintenance). Or, you will simply spend all your time focusing on it!

Here’s a principle to follow to Stay In Touch!

Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to your bottom line. (Matthew 6:33)… Yep. Sermon on the Mount covers this!