The Jar of Life!
From Colossians 1:18 we read, “And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things He (Jesus) might have the preeminence (first prority).”
THE JAR OF LIFE. A teacher of a college and career Sunday School class wanted to illustrate the priority the Lord should have in each of their lives. At the beginning of class, he stood before them with a huge empty jar. Without saying a word, he took a large rock, the size of his fist, and carefully placed it into the bottom of the jar. Then he filled the jar to the top with several smaller rocks, the size of marbles. He then asked the class, “Is the jar full?” They nodded, “Yes.” He smiled, as he took another bag filled with sand and began pouring it in, while gently shaking the jar. Everyone looked on as the sand slowly filled in the tiny gaps between the smaller rocks all the way down to the big rock at the bottom. “Now?” He asked. “Now it’s full”, the class responded. Finally, he took a cup of coffee and slowly poured it in. Everyone watched as the coffee soaked into the sand. The class burst into laughter. When the laughter died down, the teacher said, “This jar represents your life. The big rock at the very bottom represents Christ and the place He must have as the foundation of your life.” Then he pointed to the marble sized rocks and said, “These bigger rocks represent the important things in your life…your family, the profession you chose, your goals and dreams. And the sand represents everything else, the smaller stuff, the distractions and time wasters of life.” Then he said, “If I were to do this again and reverse the order, putting the sand in first, then the smaller rocks, there would have been no room for the big rock at the bottom. And the same goes for your life. If you spend all of your time and energy on the small stuff, you’ll never have room for what matters most, Jesus!” One student spoke up, “What about the coffee?” He smiled and said, “I’m glad you asked. It means no matter how full your life gets; you should always make room for a cup of coffee with a close friend.”
FIRST PLACE OR NO PLACE. In our verse for today, we’re reminded that, “…in ALL things, He must have the preeminence.” Paul reminds us of the priority the Lord should have in each of our lives. There’s one place that Jesus will not take and that’s second place. The Lord doesn’t want a place in your life; He doesn’t even want prominence in your life. He deserves and demands preeminence. Like the big rock in the jar, He has to be put in first.
TEST YOURSELF. In your “jar of life,” where have you placed Him? Is He first in your relationships? Is pleasing Him more important than pleasing even your spouse or children? Is He first in your finances? Are you giving Him His tithes and offerings, recognizing your job, your income and all of your possessions are gifts from Him? What about the day of worship, Sunday? Is it just another day or the weekend? The place His day has in your life says something about the place He has in your heart. What about each day of the week? Is spending time with Him daily a priority in your life? Is communing with Him in prayer and listening to Him speak to you through His Word a vital part of each day? Think about it for a moment. It can happen so gradually. The cares of this world can so easily crowd out the priority the Lord desires and you desperately need Him to have in your heart. When the other stuff becomes more important, it’s futile to try to simply fit Jesus in. Jesus said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you” (Mat. 6:33). In this promise, Jesus really simplifies life. It’s when we’re seeking and looking after “all these things,” life gets complicated and we begin to worry and become fearful. But when the Rock, the Lord Jesus, is on the throne of our hearts, we have the peace only He can give (John 14:27).
DO YOU NEED TO EMPTY YOUR JAR? Maybe today you need to pour out your heart before the Lord. It could be you need to make room for the Lord. Surrender afresh today by enthroning Him as Lord. Empty yourself of all the marble sized rocks that are important, but not most important. Empty out the sand and all the stuff that’s distracted you and caused you to lose your focus on Him. Maybe your life has become like Peter that day he walked on water. He was looking straight at the Lord, the One Who told him to step out of the boat. He stepped out and was walking by faith on the water and doing the impossible. Then, all of sudden, he heard the winds and thunder, saw the rains and the white capping seas and he took his eyes off of Jesus. That’s when he began to sink. The same thing can so easily happen to any of us today. It happens when we lose focus of what’s most important. Just empty the jar of your heart today. Put Him back in first! He desires and demands preeminence. Pray to Him right now. His peace will flood your heart again! Then call a friend and tell ‘em what you've done over a cup of coffee! Think it over…🙏