Security

By Jean Cheng

22 Oct

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Ephesians 2:1-10

You were dead through the crimes and the sins in which you used to live when you were following the way of this world, obeying the ruler who governs the air, the spirit who is at work in the rebellious. We all were among them too in the past, living sensual lives, ruled entirely by our own physical desires and our own ideas; so that by nature we were as much under God’s anger as the rest of the world. But God loved us with so much love that he was generous with his mercy: when we were dead through our sins, he brought us to life with Christ – it is through grace that you have been saved – and raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in Christ Jesus.

This was to show for all ages to come, through his goodness towards us in Christ Jesus, how infinitely rich he is in grace. Because it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith; not by anything of your own, but by a gift from God; not by anything that you have done, so that nobody can claim the credit. We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life as from the beginning he had meant us to live it.

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Luke 12:13-21

A man in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Master, tell my brother to give me a share of our inheritance.’ ‘My friend,’ he replied, ‘who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?’ Then he said to them, ‘Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs.’

Then he told them a parable: ‘There was once a rich man who, having had a good harvest from his land, thought to himself, “What am I to do? I have not enough room to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I will do: I will pull down my barns and build bigger ones, and store all my grain and my goods in them, and I will say to my soul: My soul, you have plenty of good things laid by for many years to come; take things easy, eat, drink, have a good time.” But God said to him, “Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul; and this hoard of yours, whose will it be then?.” So it is when a man stores up treasure for himself in place of making himself rich in the sight of God.’

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A man’s life is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs

Security. A powerful driving force in life that I have often underestimated. Yet, the need for security is what drives me to do what I do. Only when I am secure do I allow myself to rest. But each time I feel insecure, I find myself scrambling around, worrying and fretting, and becoming extremely chaotic within.

All of us desire security but the ways in which we attain our security differs from person to person. Some people attain security through their achievements at work or in their studies, as this enables them to know that their lives have worth and value. Whenever they perform at work, they feel happy and at peace. However, the instant they are unsure of their place at work, they easily feel under threat and will often do whatever it takes until they can ensure that they are doing well at work again.

For others, they might attain security in people liking them. When they feel loved and valued by others, they would feel extremely happy and secure, able to rest and feel that their lives are fulfilled. However, when someone is unhappy with them, they can feel highly chaotic within, and would often either remain unhappy for a long time, or would go out of their way to try to appease the other (e.g., through bending their own boundaries or standards to buy the heart of the other).

God created us with a need for security; hence, it is not bad to desire it. However, in order to live a full life, we need to ask what our Creator intended when he created this desire within us. Today’s Gospel gives us an answer. God intended for us to attain security not in what we own (e.g., our acquisitions, the number of people who like us, the talents or skills that we have, our bodies, etc). Instead, God intended for us to be secure in His eyes.

How do we become rich in the sight of God? We become rich when we obey His word to love Him and to love those around us. We become rich when we renounce our own need to build our own kingdom at our jobs, in our circle of friends, and instead focus on building the Kingdom of God in this world. There is a difference when a person works hard to build his own name, as opposed to working hard to enable others to experience God’s goodness in their lives. There is a difference when we love so that others will love us back, as opposed to loving so that the other will be blessed and find healing and hope in this world.

As we begin our day today, the chores and activities we perform may be the same as every other day. However, this day is different because the spirit we choose to enter into these tasks with makes a world of difference. It changes how rich or how poor we truly are in the sight of God. On our own, it is not possible to change our spirit. But we can be confident that we will grow rich in God’s ways for it is only through His grace that will keep strengthening our spirit to live for Him. All we need to do is to ask Him for His grace.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Jean Cheng)

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Prayer: Jesus, I wish that I do not have to rely on You to change my spirit. I need Your grace to be humble in depending on You. Please help me to humbly rely on You today and everyday, to help me to grow rich in Your eyes. Amen.

Thanksgiving: We give thanks to God for this new day of life.