We live in a self-centered world, where everything revolves around man. Many people are unhappy, despite all the prosperity and wealth. They don’t know who they really are and feel empty inside. And so they are searching for the ultimate happiness in life and to fill that inner void. Many think that by finding their true self in life, they will find the peace and happiness they’re looking for and that the feeling of emptiness will disappear. Through means of philosophies of man and methods, they try to find their true authentic self. They analyze their behavior and dig into their past to find answers. They want to understand themselves and explain their behavior based on their past. But a person, who wants to find himself or herself, shall never find himself or herself but shall get lost and stuck in the past. The deeper a person digs, the more unhappy and depressed the person becomes. If people only knew the truth, that life is not about finding yourself but about finding Jesus.
Finding yourself
But not only unbelievers, who don’t know Jesus Christ, dig into their past in order to find their true self. Many Christians, who say they believe in Jesus Christ and made Him Lord over their lives, do the same thing. They are focused on themselves and dig into their past, in order to find their true self. But instead of finding their true selves, they become entangled in a web of lies and deceit.
When a person becomes dilahirkeun deui in the spirit, by the Spirit of God, the person will lay down his/her flesh; the old man. Ku kituna the old man with his past, will not exist anymore.
The person’s life will not revolve around the person anymore, and to please the lust and desires of the carnal man. But the person’s life will revolve around Jesus and how the person can please and exalt Him and glorify the Father.
When a person digs in the past, looking for his or her true self, it means that the old carnal man is still alive and present (Baca ogé: Don’t fall into the hole of your past).
Put off the old man
As long as a person doesn’t put off the old man, a person will never become the new man; the new creation, who walks after the Spirit in obedience to the Word. Because the ‘self’ (daging) still sits and reigns on the throne of the person’s life.
Therefore the person shall always be busy with himself/herself, finding his/her true self and analyzing his/her behavior.
The person shall remain focussed upon himself/herself and therefore (s)he shall never become the person, the new creation, who God has created him/her to be.
Jesus says: for whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Mateus 16:25)
That means, that if someone wants to follow Jesus, (s)he will forget about self and lose sight of his/her own interest and shall be focused upon Jesus Christ; kecap, and shall walk the same road as Jesus.
The Bible is the Word of God and shall be the highest authority in the person’s life, and therefore the person shall listen and stay obedient to the Word and walk in the will of God.
Where can you find Jesus?
You can find Jesus in the Bible; kecap, because Jesus is the Living Word, WHO became flesh and walked upon this earth. Only by the Word, you shall get to know Jesus Christ and His will, which corresponds with the will of the Father.
The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth (John 1:14)
Do you feel lonely and experience emptiness in your life?
There are many Christians, who think they have found Jesus, but still experience an emptiness. They are overwhelmed with negative feelings of depression and anxiety and are not really happy. Maybe they’ll pretend that they are happy in front of others. When they go to church or when they are among believers, they put on their happy faces and say that everything goes well.
But as soon as the church service is over and they’ll go home, they are confronted with the emptiness in their lives and are overwhelmed again by all kinds of negative, anxious, and depressive feelings.
They’ll try to stay as busy as possible and look for all kinds of distractions to keep them occupied. So that they will not be confronted with their true feelings. But that’s not the way to solve the problem.
When you have found Jesus Christ, the emptiness will immediately disappear. Because you have found the Life and your true destination. But after you have found Jesus, it’s important with what things you feed your mind with and what things you spend your time on.
Do you spend time with the Father and Jesus Jesus; the Word and are you looking for the things, which are above? Or do you spend your time on all kinds of carnal things and feed your mind with carnal entertainment and seek those things which are on the earth?
As long as you stay focused on yourself and live after the carnal desires and lusts of your flesh, then these negative feelings of depression and anxiety will remain in your life. Because you will reap what you sow.
When you sow in your flesh, you shall reap the corruption of the flesh (Galatians 6:8). But when you feed your mind with the Word and spend time with Him, you shall sow in your spirit. You shall reap the fruit of the Spirit; faith, love, peace, longsuffering, joy, happiness, jsb. and eventually you shall reap eternal life.
Life is not about finding yourself but life is about finding Jesus
When you keep searching for your true self, by using the methods of the world, you shall not find true life, but death. Only when you find Jesus, you shall find eternal life and be freed from the power of the kingdom of darkness. This life in Jesus Christ shall give you the peace, happiness, and joy that you’ve been looking for.
The world wants you to stay focused on yourself and on finding yourself, so that you will be caught up in the lies of the devil and keep living in darkness with all its misery.
But God wants you to give true life, through His Son Jesus Christ. God is your Creator and God knows you better than anyone else. God knows exactly what you need, in order to become the person He wants you to be.
Life on this earth is not about finding yourself, but it’s about finding Jesus. That’s why every person on this earth needs Jesus Christ!
'Janten uyah bumi’
