Make Sure of the Home Keys
Most of us had some classes in high school where we sat there and grumbled, "When am I ever going to use this stuff?" And we continued to have our doubts, despite our teachers assurring us that all of our lessons, all of our subjects would benefit us somehow, sometime. (And of course mostly they were right!) Now where we went to High School, we were offered a “Hobbies Class” once a week. In other words, we could actually choose a lesson that we believed would be useful to us. Wow, what a luxury! And so I chose typing. Now back then it wasn’t the macho thing to do - boys learning to type!!?? So I copped a bit of ribbing, but to this day - even as I type this letter - I am ever so glad I did. I even remember the name of the teacher who taught me - yes sir, it's a good thing that I learned to type those many years ago. I may not be the fastest, but I reckon I could keep up with quite a few.
Of course it isn't just the speed that counts. There's that accuracy thing, too. Going fast doesn't always mean you're getting it right. Every once in a while I'll look up at the computer screen only to see a string of letters that don't make sense - "gozornanplatz fufti". Oooooops! I look down and find that my fingers aren't where they're supposed to be on that keyboard. I had ignored the very first typing lesson learned - the set or home keys. You make sure your typing fingers are on the home keys, then you reach out to all the other keys from there, unless you want to produce something that makes absolutely no sense! The home keys. They're the only starting point on a keyboard from which you can compose things that make sense. Start any other place and you're going to have a mess.
Life has home keys too - a starting point from which we should run our life. Unfortunately, when we stand back and look at our life’s screen, we see that it’s just not making much sense. Things aren't working the way they're supposed to. Too many things you had hoped would fulfill you, have left you empty. Many pursuits you thought would give your life some meaning, have turned out to be so hollow. The “screen” of your life reveals a jumbled "gozornanplatz fufti" - no meaning and no clarity.
You need to learn the lesson that life doesn't work until you land back again (or perhaps for the first time?) on the home keys. And thankfully, the God who put us here on this earth, has made it very clear just where home base is. It's spelled out in Matthew 6:33, where He says: "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need". There's home base. Putting what God wants first - walking obediently in His way. And of course this is where we do fail over and over again. We put what we want first. Maybe that's why the middle letter of sin is "I".
Further, the Bible reading from Matthew 6:33 reminds us to "live righteously". And on top of that, Paul in Ephesians 2:10 emphasizes that we have to be active with our Christian faith. Not only do we need to live righteously, but we have been created for “good works, which God has prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”. Too often, we don't. Instead we do the selfish thing, the angry thing, the spiteful thing, the hurting thing - God and serving Him is the last priority - hardly what you would call putting God’s kingdom first, and doing His good works!
When we remove ourselves from the “home keys”, we begin to build our own prison of dissatisfaction, lack of direction, bitterness and so on. But God doesn't leave us there - even though He has every right to. Instead He comes to us and He reminds us of His most precious gift - His Son, and so helps us get out of that prison, to set us free, and find home once again. Remember how God poured out His love for you. The Bible says: "Christ suffered for our sins...to bring you safely home to God" (1 Peter 3:18). Home is where God is, and only Jesus can help you get there. Jesus died for you to take away your sin, your self centeredness, your disobedience, your guilt, your.....Yes so great was God’s love for you that He willingly gave His Son to die for you.
And so great was Christ’s love for you, that He willingly gave His life for you. And as you look to Christ and His suffering and pain that He underwent for us, how can we not love Him in return? And how do you love Him? By listening to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to you through the Bible, and in His strength, acknowledge and repent of your sins - so that you are no longer living for self, but for the Lord Jesus Christ - “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else....serve Him faithfully” - this is home base, these are the home keys from which your life will run with purpose; this is the only lifestyle that brings joy and peace and eternal security.
Your restlessness, your loneliness, your dissatisfaction with life, the fact that you are not coping with the situation you find yourself in - all of these are pointing you to the fact that you have left “home base” - you have moved away from those home keys. Come back to home base - today. Grace and peace.....