"I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way.
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave.
I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will.
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still.
But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross.
And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace.
Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life
Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me.
Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose.
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You."
-All I have is Christ
These lyrics have never proven more true in my life. The Lord knows my heart all too well and the fact that He had to seek me first because I would never seek His presence on my own completely humbles and shatters any confidence I have in myself. I openly rejected the power that saves me. Who am I to boast in myself or any of my own strength? I am so weak! But how incredible that the Lord provides me with the strength that I lack.
Even as someone who calls themself a Christian, I rely entirely too much on the world and not on my Savior. I've noticed myself being consumed with worries and anxieties lately and when a friend asked me where they stemmed from, I paused and then replied, "I don't have enough faith." I knew that I was worried, but I had never even taken the time to realize why I felt that way. Once I finally admitted to my lack of faith and reliance of God, these fears of mine that I couldn't understand seemed to make a lot more sense to me. I've fallen into this trap of being satisfied with the world. But theres one huge problem here: the world does not and cannot ever satisfy people who weren't created for the world. We were made for eternity.
As I reflected on the doubt in my life, I realized that the only things I doubted were things of this world: having enough money, good enough friends, a nice place to live, my grades, etc. But as I thought deeper, when I lifted my head long enough to focus on eternity, I realized none of this mattered. None of it. You see, when faced with the fact that God will provide everything we need and more for eternity with Him, it seems frivolous to worry about our temporary stay here on earth. This example seems kind of silly and might not be the best comparison, but it helps me gain some perspective on my situation. Imagine your mindset when you go out to get the mail. Do you put on the best outfit you own, or do your makeup and hair, or spend hours preparing for that short trip? I don't! I know that the mailbox is only a few feet from my house and I just go! How silly would it be for me to get myself so worked up for a trip that will last literally seconds! I like to relate this to our stay here on earth because how useless would it be to get so comfortable for a journey that lasts only moments in comparison to eternity. Really, our stay here on earth is so brief! James says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."(v 4:14)
We are also told in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that, "He has put eternity into man's heart!" So let us rejoice in that!
While we wait for eternity with Christ let us wait, not anxiously, but with a joyful endurance! Let us allow him to use our ransomed lives, bought and purchased with HIS blood, as He chooses... let us be joyful in the fact that any strength we have to run this race comes from Him and Him ALONE! And let us glorify Him continually by choosing faith over doubt and trusting that He WILL fulfill every single one of His promises.
Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life
