My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
You may be wondering what I’m thinking when I present a title like that, and that is a good thing! If I were using the phrase living large as the common slang term that it is, I would be suggesting living a life marked by extravagant, excessively wealthy, or self-indulgent living. May God forbid that such a message would ever appear in Grace for the Race! I’d like to encourage you today to be “living large” in the biblical sense, and that boils down to understanding which kingdom you are living for—either the little kingdom of the self or the infinitely larger kingdom of the Savior.
The little kingdom of self is not an actual location on some plot of land. Rather, it is the overriding passion and commitment of the heart. It is a heart that beats for earth-bound treasures. It is a heart that aches for the accumulation of the things of this world. It is a heart that pumps blood into the hands that grasp everything with a white-knuckle grip, hands that pinch a quarter so hard that the eagle fairly screams in pain! This is “living little” in the kingdom of one, because everything you want has been turned into a need.
And know this: the more you live in pursuit of meeting your so-called “needs,” the more things in your life come to be defined as needs. If you are not convinced that the little kingdom actually works in this way, consider this: What in your life right now are you in pursuit of that you have defined as a need, but which, after careful consideration, you realize is actually a want? We all have a profound tendency to chase after earthly treasures, and thus we end up living little, rather than living large. I have said it here before, but it bears repeating: Whatever rules your heart shapes your life, and the more you chase after earthly treasures, the more your life atrophies.
The key to living large in the appropriate, scriptural sense is to live for the Lord and His kingdom, rather than for your own. It is the pursuit of the glory of God rather than your own glory. It is trusting in God’s promise to meet all of your needs according to the riches His glory in Christ Jesus, not meeting all of your wants that you have redefined as needs. It is advancing confidently in the direction God is calling you to go, even when you do not understand the direction in which He is leading or what will be the ultimate destination. This is transcendent living, which is the way God has designed us to live. This is living large, because we are living for the Lord, regardless of the cost or the circumstance.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 