The Only Thing

"When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
and pour contempt on all my pride"

He is the only thing that matters.

Life is so complex. Relationships, work, even churches, can be full of conflict and confusing situations. We try to make the right decisions, follow His will. Sin and temptation threaten to lead us off track the entire time. And the only thing that matters is Him.

In the end, our richest gains will be counted as losses. Nothing in this world can hold a candle to the glory of the Lord, and nothing is worth trading.

I made a promise to the Lord recently. I told him that nothing - nothing - on this earth was worth compromising the plans He has for me. Every time a situation comes into my life that threatens to steer me 'off-track', I'm surrendering it to Him in prayer. It's a learning process, and I don't always listen very well. But every day I'm trying to life in a way that says to God, "nothing else is worth it."

Simple and profound. He is all that matters. Life is full of beautiful blessings like love and family and adventure - but sometimes we orient our lives toward Him because we think that if we do, everything else will fall into place and our lives will be better. The Lord is a good father and will take care of us, but things of this world matter so much less than things of eternity.

Today, as we reflect and remember His hands stretched out on that tree, are we truly comprehending the significance of what we are celebrating? The cross is not just a "part" of our faith...it's the only thing that really, really matters in all of humanity. In the history of our world, nothing is more important than that last breath that Jesus took on Calvary. It changed the course of human history forever. Once the Lord has touched your life and made you clean through His sacrifice, nothing is worth going backward for. Nothing.