As an educator (corporate), one of the things I stress in my classes is that there are no silly questions. If you do not ask, you will not get an answer.

“¹⁶And behold, a man came up to him, saying, ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’” – Matthew 19:16 (ESV)

Here, “The Rich Young Man” is asking Jesus about what he needs to do to get to heaven. Whereas Jesus gives an answer that the man does not want to hear, without the act of asking the question, the man would still be looking for something in all the wrong places.

I have taught sales processes and philosophies and while there are a number of them out there that people ascribe to, the one thing they all seem to have in common is the asking for the sale. One has to believe that “if you don’t ask, you don’t get”. In other words, in order to make the sale, you have to ask for the sale. I think this is one of the keys to getting what you are looking for, you have to ask.

Now, as with “The Rich Young Man”, you may not get the answer you were looking for, however you will get an answer and then you have decisions to make based on the response. You will need to decide if it is worth, to you, the effort, work, and sacrifice you will have to put forth to get what you are looking for. But it all starts with the questions.

Questions are our way of finding out, and we have to be willing to ask in order to get. I use the statement “ignorance is okay because you don’t know what you don’t know, but ignorance by design is a problem, when you choose not to know that is on you”.

Are you willing to ask the questions? Will you decide to discover what is needed for you? Will you ask questions to receive the answers as if your eternal life depends on it?

“³⁸And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” – Matthew 10:38-39 (ESV)

A bit confusing if you are not a follower of Christ. How can I lose my life and find it? Well, we have to lose our life searching for and indulging in the things of this world and live for Christ who is better by far.

Think about those things in life that give you pause and cause you difficulty. When I think of my life, it is the things of this world; wealth, fame, acceptance. When we are willing to give up those things and follow Christ, we are given a new life filled with faith, hope, and love. All of these things we receive as product of our life with Christ and therefore have an ever fruitful life.

Our search for a life here on earth will fall short as long as we are searching for the earthly life. When we give up our life here on earth for Christ, we are rewarded with a life filled with a cup that does not run dry.

When you look at your life, what have you been searching for? Are you seeking faith, hope, and love? Are you willing to lose your life to find it in Christ?

“¹³Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. ¹⁴For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” – Matthew 7:13-14 (ESV)

When I read the verses above, remember attributing the words “easy” and “hard” more than any other. There is an easy and a hard way to get there.

I recently finished reading the book “The Slight Edge” (Jeff Olson), and the premise of the book is that “steady wins the race”. Doing the little things continuously over time leads to success. Here Jesus introduced us to that principle long ago.

It is not that the way to a successful life is hard, we must remain consistent over time to realize it. Taking the quick shortcut may give us a short term win, but true victory comes from taking the steady route.

I think of traffic on my commute. There is construction that is ongoing. My peers (other drivers) are, like me, all looking for the way to alleviate the pain of sitting in traffic. Some find temporary relief as thy jump on the service road and speed ahead, only to find the light at the next intersection is only let three cars at a time through. Meanwhile those of us that stayed on the highway may be travelling slowly, at least we are moving forward.

We have choices to make in life and those choices directly impact the experience we have. We can choose to speed ahead or steadily work through forward.

Are you looking for the quick way through? Are you searching for the next big thing in hopes of a relief of some kind? Or, are you patiently taking the steady route forward to life?

I have studied the passage below and focused on the essentials of life and God’s provision of those. Today, as I study the life part, it is a bit different.

“²⁵Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” – Matthew 6:25 (ESV)

Jesus states here for us to not be anxious about our lives. I admit that it is not easy and I struggle with it every day.

Here are some of the questions that I ask each day as I struggle: Why me? Where am I going? What is next? How will we make it? Am I doing the right thing?

I know, all questions that, based on the Word of God, I should not concern myself with once I have accepted Christ as my Savior. But, as a human, it does not seem that easy. The world gets in my way and I tend to see that which is in front of me and forget that my ticket has already been punched for the greatest destination possible, HEAVEN.

We are bombarded each and every day with things to get us down, like, “You need more”, “You are not worthy”.

The truth is, when we have God, we have all we need, and should not worry about those other things as we continue to do his work and live the path he has set out for each of us.

Where are you today? Are you following the path God has laid out for you? Are you looking to Him for your guidance? Are you working to take out the worry about your life?

“²And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt…⁴But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” – Daniel 12:2 & 4 (ESV)

As humans we find ourselves in a position of seeking to be forever. I am seeking to live my kingdom purpose and want to find myself on God’s side (the right side) of the end times. The only way for me to get there is to accept the gift of salvation provided for me through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That sounds so simple when you write it down. Just a few words in a couple of sentences and bam, pretty easy to attain.

Although is it really that simple? In the verses above, we will have to seek wisdom and knowledge. We have to “increase” in what we know as we look to God’s Word, and if we do not, we are found running “to and fro” searching for something that will not be found.

Our everlasting life is found and delivered by our knowledge. When we are seeking for the knowledge provided by God, we are in a position understanding and finding our kingdom purpose and therefore life with Christ.

Are you seeking the knowledge provided by God? Where are you looking for wisdom? Are you able to have the everlasting life with Christ through your knowledge of God’s Word?

“¹⁶O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! ¹⁷Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.” – Isaiah 38:16-17 (ESV)

Hezekiah had fallen sick and after confirming his fate with Isaiah he turned and earnestly pleaded with God for his life. God heard him and through His great love, delivered Hezekiah from death.

There are two parts of this story that I believe are key: 1) Hezekiah pleaded earnestly and 2) God’s love.

When Hezekiah learned of his fate, he gave everything to God knowing that only God could save him. He was repentant and pleaded with deep reverence for God, who heard him. God’s great love for Hezekiah made it so He would spare his life.

We have opportunities each day to earnestly believe in the power of God and He has a love for each of us that He wants to display on His people.

Are you pleading earnestly to God for deliverance? Are you allowing God to do His work? Are you looking to the love of God to deliver your life?

“²¹Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.” – Proverbs 21:21 (ESV)

What is it in this world that we are pursuing, wealth, power, control? We are chasing the wrong things. Those items only lead to ruin. Look at the ultimate fate of Caesar.

Instead, we should be actively seeking righteousness and we will find it as well as life more closely aligned with Christ.

Will this righteousness lead to wealth, maybe not in the monetary sense. Will it lead to power, not in the sense of ruling over others. Will it lead to control, not to the extent of everyone bowing to you.

It will however lead to wisdom and honor. These of which give comfort that the choices and decision we make are sound. With those sound decisions are more powerful than we know. They give us wealth, enough to live. They give us power, to sustain when attacked by the world. They give us control, to follow more closely in the footsteps of Christ.

What are you chasing? What have you experienced as a result of your pursuits? Are you willing to pursue righteousness to find life?

“³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” – Proverbs 11:30 (ESV)

When we are working to follow the life of Christ, we find ourselves in a position to attract others to Christ.

I think of sitting on the back porch on a calm summer evening. You sit just observing and listening and to your amazement you see a flickering light there in the yard. You start looking for it, and it alludes your eye until you catch it to your left, but only for a moment. Then again to your right. Soon you are calm yourself and see them one by one appear in front of you, tens of them. You find yourself calming even more and drawn to enjoyment of the beauty of the firefly.

I envision us as beacons of light that draw in others. We are those fireflies minding our own business, doing the work of God. When suddenly others are captivated at what it is that we have and offer. A calmness of ourselves that elicits a calmness for others.

When you are out in the world, are you bringing calm? Are you being the light for others? Is your life capturing lives for Christ?

“³²And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. ³³Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. ³⁴Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. ³⁵For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, ³⁶But he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death.” – Proverbs 8:32-36 (ESV)

This passage is spoken from the perspective of Wisdom, as is all of Proverbs 8.

When we are heeding Wisdom, we are blessed, find favor from the Lord, and find life (ESV Commentary).

So what does it look like to find life? Well, we are no longer looking for where we belong. We are able to proceed with purpose. We end up making fewer damaging choices. We are able to move forward instead of looking back to see if something is going to catch up with us.

I look for ways to move on and not dwell on things from before. Wisdom gives me that freedom. I will be able to proceed with confidence and remove worry.

Where are you as relates to Wisdom? Are you able to look forward with purpose? Are you finding Wisdom leads to your finding life?

“²¹With much seductive speech she persuades him with her smooth talk she compels him. ²²All at once he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or a stag is caught fast ²³till an arrow pierces it liver; as a bird rushes into a snare; he does not know that it will cost him his life.” – Proverbs 7:21-23 (ESV)

Falling for the temptation will lead to destruction. It is up to us to stay on the right path.

What is that right path? Well I believe that we know that one and so does the temptress. We are to stick to the light and avoid the shadows. Avoid the little things that lead to bigger things. Each of the “little” things of their own are not much and we are able to resist or work past them. But, those “little” things we are able to work past give us confidence to take on “bigger” more tempting things and we find ourselves less likely to resist. I know that I am human and certainly am not strong enough to resist.

The only way that I have been able to resist is to avoid completely. I had a scenario play out at the office where I was completely in the dark about something. I went to chat and congratulate someone for something and found that someone else was involved as well. I was taken aback as I had known each of them for about 2 years and how did I not know. The person said to me “because you are not up in everyone’s business around here”.

How much do we get into that makes no difference in our lives? How much should we just avoid and get on with what matters? How much should we just stay on the right path?