All the riches in the world do nothing for me if I don’t have Love in my heart and Jesus by my side.

                 When the lights go out and my head hits the pillow, what have I got if I don’t know Love or have Jesus in my life? I have a vacuum inside my Soul, in desperate need of filling. A void in my body that Riches can’t fill and material things can’t hide. The fact is, I find myself asking myself, “What do I have at the end of the day, when I find myself wanting nothing?”
Is this the point in my life where I am supposed to be full? Or is it the point in my life where I realize that being so full, it is time to give back.

If  I have it all, what do I have if I can not share it with others?

If I have it all, who gave it to me and did I get everything I ever wanted on my own, by my own free will?

Questions, questions and more questions!

If having it all is the Answer, then why do I have all these questions?

In searching for the Answer to our happiness in this Life, we find that this Life is but a Blink of an Eye and that where we spend Eternity is what we need to focus on. More importantly, who we spend Eternity with is the Answer we should be looking for, as the Lord gives and He Takes away.

Oswald Chambers once said, “Every Doctrine that is not embedded in the Cross of Jesus Christ will lead astray.”

When you really think about this statement, trouble will find us, if we don’t find Him. Success breeds contentment and with that, we begin to rely on ourselves instead of our Lord and Savior. Money can fill some of the void in our lives during times of hardships but it is the Spirit of Jesus Christ that will keep our lives Full in the security of His Saving Grace that saves us from Eternal Damnation!

What is having it all when by days end, we still want more?

Once we think we have reached our final destination, whether it is by way of climbing the corporate ladder or by way of winning the biggest prize in sports, we sadly may find that our cup is still only half full. How can this be you might ask? 

We can witness from a distance what appears to be happiness tenfold, regarding our neighbor who has all the trappings of success but internally, this person can be gasping for spiritual refreshments. While we endlessly find ways to satisfy our Earthly needs by working hard, our Spiritual growth has been running on empty due to our pursuit of Material Happiness. This is where things can get dangerous.

Self reliance is a false sense of security which can lead to sinful behavior and worse yet self destruction. When rely on ourselves we will never be fulfilled internally because by doing so, we deny the Truth. The Truth is the Light of this world, Jesus Christ. We deny Him each time we Praise ourselves instead of Him.

 J.J. Packer once said, “The saving power of the cross does not depend on faith being added to it; its saving power is such that faith flows from it.” This is the Love of Christ Jesus, which he displayed for us by going to the Cross for our sins.

We come into this world with nothing and we will take nothing from it when we go. Therefore, how we live our lives and whom we represent while we are here, will be our legacy.

 J.C. Ryle said, “As long as the world stands, the Cross will seem foolishness to natural man.” Meaning, there are some of us in this world who know nothing about what the Cross represents therefore, find it has no meaning to them personally when they see it or hear of it.

 Jim Thomas, contributing author to the book “What the Cross Means to me”, sums up the true definitition of the Cross: “The central image of the Christian Faith is the Cross. It signifies the God of heaven intersecting humanity on earth in the person and actions of Jesus Christ. There is a sense in which the Cross represents the Christian idea of Infinity, because it can extend its four arms out forever and it gives us a reason to look forward to every new minute we are given to live!”

So what do I have when my head hits the pillow at the days end if I have no knowledge of the Grace given to me by way of Jesus Christ going to the Cross for me and my sins?

I may have a big house and nice car and some change in the bank that I cannot take with me when I leave this place to face my Maker. Who by the way is also my Redeemer, Restorer, Rewarded, Master, Savoir, Lord, Healer, Shepard, and my Father.

Once these things are realized, we realize we have nothing if we don’t have Him. His command is: To Love each other as he loved us. When we begin to do His will, we begin to Live in Him and He in us.

This is where the true meaning of life comes into focus, as we understand how much He loved us we begin to love each other in the same way. Realizing that Better is one day in His house and Better is One day in His court than thousands elsewhere. The reality is, self reliance is over rated! That becomes abundantly clear for all of us in due time and maturation.

It is true, we have nothing if we don’t have love and we have nothing if we don’t have Jesus in our lives.

To quote Andrew Murray, “He took my Cross for his own; I must take His Cross as my own; I must be crucified with Him. He is as I abide daily, deeply in Jesus the Crucified One, that I shall taste the sweetness of His Love, the power of His Life, and the completeness of His salvation.”

The lesson here is, “What have I got if I don’t have Him?

Nothing.