Matthew Costner

This weekend so far hasn’t been the most exciting. I haven’t done much of anything besides wake up this morning to go to Starbucks to meet some friends. I was there for about two hours before going to the gym for a bit and then to another coffee shop (Fido) to work on some different stuff, one of which is this blog. However as I was sitting at Starbucks this morning I began thinking about all the things I feel like I am supposed to do or at least need to do as a Christian.

I have blogged about that before a little especially with the idea that what I am supposed to do or should be doing is pursuing righteousness. As much as I hate to admit it, I haven’t been pursuing that as much lately as I should. To be blunt, I have not read the Scriptures much at all this week, and my prayer life hasn’t been that much either. So, for me to be in a coffee shop looking at Scripture this afternoon is not the normal this week, although it feels mysteriously freeing to sit here and contemplate life, God, and all that jazz.

What you may not know about me is that when I say I am going to do something and then not follow through with it, I get pretty angry with myself. This isn’t good for me in that many times I feel like the Apostle Paul who in Romans 7:19 wrote that he does what he shouldn’t and doesn’t do what he should. Even now, it is Sunday night instead of Saturday morning when I started writing this blog. I always have good intentions, but I have such a hard time going through with what I need to do.

Unfortunately, the same guy that we looked at in the last blog who Jesus cleaned of leprosy obviously had the same problem as I do. Do you remember where Jesus told the guy not to tell anyone he cleansed him? Well, in Mark 1:45, the very next verse, the guy goes home and tells everybody. He knew he shouldn’t go do that, but he did it anyway.

Knowing that the people in Scripture are more normal than I want to sometimes give them credit for is so nice to read. In some way it makes me want to read about them more. When I can relate to them, then I can learn to live as them. Luckily, Scripture is filled with people who are normal and who seem to wrestle with things like you and I wrestle with. This guy is no different from any of us and no different than Paul and the rest of the guys and gals in Scripture; they are normal, and thus they make the Scripture come alive.

I actually went to church this morning at a church here in East Nashville, and the sermon was on Matthew 5:6 which states “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.” During the sermon the pastor made a statement that has stuck with me all day today even through my several hour Sunday afternoon nap. He said that Christians argue about giving 10% of themselves and their money to their God, and that people who worship another God don’t seem to care to give 100% of their money and time to their God.

Now, as I sit here tonight and think about what all I have going on this upcoming week with work, etc, I truly hope I can give 100% of my time and money this week. When I say that, I don’t mean that I am not going to try and live and pay my bills, but I hope that I can finish this week up ahead doing what I know I need to do versus what I may want to do (and by that I mean what is not good for me to do, but that I secretly want to do it). As I have told you all before, from time to time I get so selfish. This next week, I am going to try and put myself behind me and work for God, not myself.