God (really) is everything

If you enjoy bagels, you’ve probably come across the “everything bagel.” At my local bakery, it’s the one that’s topped with seeds and herbs too numerous to count. My guess is if they could have added “everything,” they probably would have. The bagel is tasty and filling, but ultimately, it is not and can never be everything. God, on the other hand, not only has everything, he IS everything, and he satisfies completely.

Yet, as Christians, we tend to forget or minimize this crucial element of our faith. All too often earth’s temporality recedes into the shadows of our thinking and its trinkets loom large. We find ourselves drawn to them, chasing them, and worrying about them as the world does.  One pastor described this problem as a deception where price tags are switched—the expensive tags are placed on the cheap items and vice versa. All the while the Holy Spirit taps us on the shoulder, whispering and reminding us that we already have everything we could ever need in God.  He is our greatest treasure and reward; nothing the world offers could ever compare to him. 

The longer I’ve walked with God as a Christian, the more persuaded I am that He really is everything. He is our helper. Our refuge. Our shield. Our deliverer. Our strength. Our hope. Our protector. Our counselor. Our wisdom. Our provider. Our comfort. Our healer. Our savior. Our master. The shoulder we cry on. The back that carries us. The friend who will never betray us. The companion in life’s lonely moments. The love who will stay. The glue that keeps our lives together. The power that moves us. The grace that sustains us. Everything.

Many Christian song writers have caught a glimpse of this and tried to convey its depth in their work.

The writers of the contemporary Christian song Touch of Heaven, put it this way:

You’re the fire in the morning

You’re the cool in the evening

The breath in my soul

The life in my bones

A favorite Christian hymn, Be Thou my Vision, says it this way:

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise

Thou mine inheritance, now and always

 Thou and thou only, first in my heart

 O’ King of glory, my treasure thou art

David said it this way in Ps. 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you?

 And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you …

But God is he strength of my heart and my portion forever

The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Yes, everything is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8 MSG)

God told Abraham, “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Gen. 15:1). In other words, “Abraham, the world has nothing better to offer you. I am the best “thing” that could ever happen to you.”

Abraham believed God.  Do you?

Prayer: “Father, next time I find myself duped by the switched price tags and fretting over some “thing,” please help me remember that I already have everything.”