To be remembered or to be forgotten

We all want to be remembered for doing something great. Making our mark in school, on the athletic field, making a different in society and whatever our hobbies are. We can be a society that focuses on what makes us known. What if our goal in life wasn’t to be known but be forgotten? If we didn’t want to be remembered. If we wanted the focus to be on other people above our own?

I remember in high school doing a 10 year time capsule. I vaguely remember what we wanted to do with our lives. I wanted to get a sport scholarship to Michigan State or a couple of different schools. I wanted to be on my way to being a great sports writer and I think more of the American dream idea. I did not accomplish these goals, but is that a bad thing? Do I feel like a horrible person because I didn’t follow the career path I had from the 14 year old version of myself? No. Sometimes what we experience and what we enjoy change our goals overtime.

Paul shares about his own life in Philippians 3:7-9…

“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is faith in Christ-the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”

Paul considered the things he used to go for pointless compared to Christ and his new goal. His gains he considered rubbish, the way this translates his gains are more like food scraps or like crap now.  Paul changed his life focus to being Christ focused. He didn’t want to be remembered, he wanted Jesus to be remembered through what he accomplished. Paul wanted the life focus to be not on him but on Christ. What if we lived the same way?

Put others before us. What if we tried to make to make the world a better place, not for us but for others? I am not perfect I have different struggles, but everything I am today is because of Christ and the differences he made in my life. If I am forgotten for the name of Christ, I am good with that.

How about you? Do you strive to be remembered or forgotten for a better name or cause?

Have a great day.

Not a God.......yet

We can make the mistake of treating people like a God.

We might not think this but our actions can show it.

Think about stars.

Not that they are bad people but what they do with their lives.

Make movies, sing music, play sports well and are major leaders in one way or another.

No matter how much I love some athletes and stars they are not God even though we treat them like it sometimes.

This happened back in the day too.

Paul and Barnabas healed a man who was crippled from birth.

The people said and did this in Acts 14:11-13…

“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”  Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.”

They tried to treat them like gods.

They responded tearing their clothes, overstating they were not gods but worship the one true God.

We can get caught in looking up at people.

There is nothing wrong with this but thinking that one person has the amazing status of God is a problem.

God loves all of us the same.

Whether we make movies or slushies, he loves us.

Know that no matter who you are or what you do Jesus loves you.

Nobody has a God status, but everyone is truly loved the same by God.

I hope you know today that you are loved in more ways than you could ever imagine.

Have a great day.