What is your life goal?  I realized just recently that somewhere along the line of life, my life goal moved over to this:  I want a comfortable, quiet life where I can learn of God and follow Yeshua.

When did Yeshua (Jesus) ever promise us a comfortable or quiet life when we followed him?  He didn’t.  I strayed away from the greatest commandment,

Hear O Israel!  The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart; with all your soul; and with all your might.

God calls us to give completely of ourselves to Him.  Yeshua (Jesus) told us to ‘take up our cross and follow him.’  That certainly isn’t a description of a comfortable, quiet life.

The effects of not having my goal correct were becoming apparent in many aspects of my life.   Anxiety, stress, and even depression.   And yet I would tell myself that I was trusting God for all things.

What does my life look like when I have one or the other goals first in my life?  When comfort was my life goal, I’d be often thinking about material needs, entertainment, and stress reduction.  When Yeshua is my life goal, then I would be spending much more time doing what the word of God says: “speak of His law when I sit in my house and when I walk on my way and when I lie down and when I rise up” (paraphrase of Deuteronomy 6:7).  We see in the Psalms that King David did this.  Yeshua also tells us to not be anxious about our life (Matthew 6:25-34).  “Anxious” doesn’t have to mean worrying about something, but simply thinking about it and going after something.  Wanting it.

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.  Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV).

There is nothing wrong with having material things.  But for me, I was thinking of such things more often then God’s word.

What we spend our time thinking about and going after shows us what our life goal is.

So, measure your own life by God’s word and check what your life goal is.  Follow the words that are part of the verse that Jesus (Yeshua) called the ‘greatest commandment’ and transform your life (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9).  If you’re like me, it is best to start with small steps and increase as you go.  When our goal is correct our lives will be peaceful (which does not mean uneventful).  It is what God promised.  We can trust Him.

• Yosef