What is Enough for You?
Matthew 16:24-26
Matthew 6:19-24
Matthew 7:13-14
Identity: is our sense of who we are as an individual and as members of social group. People identify themselves differently based on our hobbies, career, talents, etc. These things give us a sense of self and a sense of worth. This could be overlap between each individual, band ultimately, these identities could become our idols. Idols are the things that turns our attention and put them in a higher position than God.
Phil had a baseball idol when he was 11 years old. The baseball player became such an aspirational figure in Phil’s heart which led him to wonder if he could convert to Islam to be like his idol. After that, his idols turned from his dream career to get married and start a family in his late 20s. These desires and wants are blessings but even a good thing could be idols.
What are your idols? Is it getting your dream Job? Getting admitted to your dream school? getting paid a certain salary range? Or dating a certain person? These are human’s desires and wants but they could turn to our idol and an idol could define who we are. What idols do we have in your life?
Matthew 16:24-26: The self-denial as Jesus taught us is denied our own authority and denied yourself to find our identity in Christ. Why? Because we are prone to find our pleasure elsewhere and not God. Jesus taught us to pursue our joy where it is and not where it isn’t. We should find joy in our Father God. It is hard to understand but here is some analogies:
Runner’s high: after running or working out a certain amount of time or miles, their brain releases dopamine which is a euphoric feeling that makes them feel good, energetic, and makes them want to exercise more.
Golf: when you hit the ball to a certain hole (sorry I didn’t get this one). It’s the feeling that you get from experience that keeps you coming back to it.
The pursuit of joy made it feel like it’s worth it. But ultimately, it is nothing compared to the joy we experience from God. He wants to find the true joy that we cannot find in other idols.
Matthew 6:19-24: these earthly pleasures will be worn out, they will become less effective as we keep experiencing them. Feelings are subject to change.
Even though we try many ways to find good things to maintain our idols (research on reliable cars that last at least 10 years, or how to earn more money, or look up places for good food), instead, we should change ourselves. Self denial traces our idols to less satisfied so that we can focus on eternal joy.
Money is a very big idol for many people. Generosity is not how many meals we pay for or provide for others or buy gifts for them, but how we use it to change our life and others. Here are some practical ways to prioritize our idols less:
Give God what is His:
By tithing. It is important to remember that our money/income belongs to God. We have to remember that we are not tithing 10%, but we can keep 90%.
By how we worship and pray
It would never be enough for us if God is not in the pictures. So are we satisfied with God? If you are believers: you should be humble yourself because he accepts you, a sinner, and calls you child into his salvation. In the traditional culture we live up to our family’s expectations. In the modern world we live up to/focus on ourselves. By this way, our identity is achieved and is not perceived. Whereas God gave us a totally different identity because this identity is perceived and not achieved.
When we make something our identity, it will suffocate us and crush us. Following Jesus does not graduate that we will be healthy or have a wonderful life but to know that He is enough. If you know you love ____ too much, change the way you worship. Pray and meditate on them until they catch fire in your heart
Reflection Questions:
What is your take away from the message?
What are your idols?
