Creating Life, Not Just Living It

 

Scripture:

 

“Teach me, Adonai, the way of your laws; keeping them will be its own reward for me. Give me understanding; then I will keep your Torah; I will observe it with all my heart. Guide me on the path of your mitzvot, for I take pleasure in it. Bend my heart toward your instruction and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; with your ways, give me life.” — Psalm 119:33-37 (CJB)

 

Reflection:

 

Yesterday was my second day serving in Guatemala at Mission Pacaya in San Vicente Pacaya. As Ivan walked us through the property, he showed us something far greater than a farm. He showed us a living example of God’s design.

 

Every part of the mission works together in harmony. The land supports the crops. The crops support the animals. The animals enrich the land. Resources are used wisely. Nothing is wasted. Everything serves a purpose. Everything contributes to life.

 

As I listened and worked throughout the day, I couldn’t help but reflect on how different this is from the world around us.

 

We live in a culture that teaches us to consume more, own more, control more, and pursue more for ourselves. We often measure success by what we accumulate rather than by what we cultivate. We seek comfort over purpose and ownership over stewardship.

 

Yet from the very beginning, God never called mankind to control His creation. He called us to steward it.

 

Everything belongs to Him.

 

Our families belong to Him.

 

Our resources belong to Him.

 

Our talents belong to Him.

 

Our businesses belong to Him.

 

Our ministries belong to Him.

 

Even our lives belong to Him.

 

We are not owners. We are managers of what God has entrusted to us.

 

One of the first questions Ivan asked us was simple, yet deeply convicting:

 

“What have you become a slave to?”

 

The more I reflected on that question, the more I realized that many of the things we become slaves to don’t appear harmful on the surface. Sometimes we become slaves to comfort. Sometimes to success. Sometimes to possessions. Sometimes to schedules. Sometimes to the opinions of others. Sometimes to our own ambitions.

 

And often, if we’re honest, we become slaves to control.

 

We want to determine the outcome.

 

We want to direct the path.

 

We want to protect what we think belongs to us.

 

But true freedom begins when we surrender control to the One who was always in control to begin with.

 

As I walked around this morning, I prayed a simple prayer:

 

“God, show me what You have for me today.”

 

He led me to Psalm 119:33-40.

 

What immediately stood out was that David wasn’t asking God for more authority or more control. He was asking for more surrender.

 

“Teach me.”

 

“Give me understanding.”

 

“Guide me.”

 

“Bend my heart.”

 

“Turn my eyes.”

 

David understood that life is found not in directing God, but in following Him.

 

Then another one of Ivan’s questions came back to me:

 

“How do we create abundance?”

 

And another:

 

“How are we creating life?”

 

As I reflected on yesterday’s work, I suddenly realized the answer.

 

The work we were doing wasn’t simply physical labor.

 

We were helping create abundance.

 

Every project completed, every task accomplished, every hour invested was helping strengthen a mission that feeds people, serves people, teaches people, and points people toward Christ.

 

The abundance being created there isn’t measured by profit margins or personal gain. It is measured by lives impacted, families helped, and opportunities created for others to experience God’s provision.

 

In that moment, I understood something important:

 

True abundance is not what we accumulate for ourselves.

 

True abundance is what God produces through us for others.

 

The Kingdom of God grows when His people faithfully steward what He has entrusted to them.

 

Then something else hit me.

 

I was happy.

 

Not because the work was easy.

 

Not because the conditions were comfortable.

 

Not because I was accomplishing something for myself.

 

I was happy because I was participating in something bigger than myself.

 

I was helping create life.

 

I sent a picture to my wife, and her response was simple:

 

“You look happy.”

 

My answer was even simpler:

 

“I am.”

 

And for the first time in a long time, I truly meant it.

 

Perhaps that’s because joy is found where purpose meets obedience.

 

Perhaps peace is found where stewardship replaces control.

 

Perhaps life is found when we stop building our own kingdoms and begin investing ourselves into God’s Kingdom.

 

The questions I was asked yesterday continue to challenge me today:

 

What have I become a slave to?

 

How am I creating abundance in God’s Kingdom?

 

How am I creating life for others?

 

Those are not questions just for a mission trip.

 

They are questions for every day of our lives.

 

Encouragement:

 

Take a moment today and honestly ask yourself:

 

What has captured my heart?

 

What am I truly serving?

 

Am I consuming life, or am I helping create it?

 

Am I building my kingdom, or am I investing in God’s Kingdom?

 

May we learn to surrender what was never ours to control.

 

May we become faithful stewards of all that God has entrusted to us.

 

And may our lives create an abundance that points others to the One who is the source of all life.

 

—

-Rev Carlos Figueroa

TheFreeBible.Org