What it's Really Like to Have it All

Know a person who “has it all”? Got a name? A face?

What else can be said about a person who only gets green lights and open doors? It seems they always have more followers, dollars and points than you.

Deep down, you don’t really believe any singular person has it all. Plenty of have-it-all people struggle to find meaning and fulfillment. And, of course, you realize “having it all” is a temporary illusion anyway. “The world and its desires pass away,” notes the Apostle John. “But whoever does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:17, NIV)

So, why is it still so easy to let that person bug us?

Maybe it’s really about our desire for shalom. God made us for this wholeness, yet it’s what we sorely lack. Perhaps we envy the people who “have it all” because they seem to feel secure.

That’s what we want, too.

Psalm 112 describes a true shalom-filled life as characterized by integrity, respect, generosity, honesty and kindness. Shalom-filled people live freely and joyfully, even as they share with others from their abundance. They truly have it all.

How do we get this life? By paying attention to Jesus and doing what He says! When His way permeates our thoughts, hearts, words and even tiniest actions, everything else falls into place. Piling up “the most” no longer defines our living. His priorities are ours, and the result is shalom.

The psalmist describes it this way: “Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands.” (Psalm 112:1, NIV)

Turns out “having it all” doesn’t begin with having it all. It just begins with Jesus.

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