Every morning in the Billingslea house, we wake up to the plaintive cries of our adorable Ragdoll cat, who does her best to herd us out of bed and straight to the kitchen, where she knows we will give her a special morning food topper to start her day off correctly.
This special treat comes in a tube. Opening one and sometimes both ends, we carefully empty the liquid wonder with its tiny chunks of fish onto a plate, rolling the tube so that we squeeze out all the good bits.
Inevitably, I do not finish the job of preparing my cat’s special treat soon enough. She meows and even stretches against the cupboards, trying to reach up to the counter, anything to make me hurry up.
Explaining the situation to her the other day, I told her, “Waste not, want not.” I was thinking about the idea of valuing what we have and not throwing out things that are perfectly good. But the old adage struck a different chord in me as well.
At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of God-come-to-earth, Jesus, Who came to love the world and offer it the one gift it could never give itself: redemption.
How often do I waste the grace and the faith that Jesus offers me every day and in abundance? I let the fears and worries of this world weigh me down, even though Jesus promises me that His burden is light and His love never-ending.
But there is another thing I do, and that is try to earn my salvation, instead of practicing faith. I waste faith and wind up yearning for it.
In Romans, Paul explains, “Whereas Israel, [though always] pursuing the law of righteousness, did not succeed in fulfilling the law. And why not? Because it was not by faith [that they pursued it], but as though it were by works [relying on the merit of their works instead of their faith]. They stumbled over the stumbling Stone [Jesus Christ]” (9:31-32).
It’s important to recognize my tendency to subconsciously pursue salvation through my works instead of using my works to render me closer into the image of Christ. When I function in the former paradigm, I create a constant tension that actually keeps me from doing my best for Jesus.
But when I walk by faith, I trust that God is actively making His will come true in my life because I concentrate on following Jesus’ example, growing with the help of the Holy Spirit instead of condemning myself for not being perfect all the time.
Sin is. In any given moment, I can choose to lean on Jesus, or give in to the temptations of the flesh. But if I don’t want to waste the gift of grace that saves me, I will practice the faith-filled ways that keep me closer to Jesus. I will pray often. I will praise God at every turn. I will study His Word. I will show His love to others through compassion and hospitality. I will ask God for guidance and learn to be comfortable in the silences between answers.
24 hours. That’s all we have in a day, and one day at a time is all we get. “Let tomorrow take care of itself,” Jesus says. “Today has enough troubles of its own.” Squeeze as much Jesus as you can out of each day, hour, minute.
Waste not, want not. When it comes to loving Jesus, faith means never being in want. Believe it.
Photo by Arina Krasnikova from Pexels
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