Romans 11:36

Romans 11:36 - For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

In our men’s group right now we are reading a book called ‘Man in the Mirror,’ written by Patrick Morley. In the first chapter it discusses how most people are caught up in what he calls ‘The Rat Race.’ The Rat Race as he describes it is the pursuit of the perfect, wrinkle free life. It’s the thought that the more we have and the better stuff that we have the happier we will be.

We have been convinced that we need the latest and greatest thing. Our world is filled with technology, and every time you buy a new thing, it is only the best for a short time. It doesn't take long for something better to come along and then we think we need the upgrade.

Living this way is stressful. It is living with the idea that all we have is ours because we worked hard for it. “I worked hard, therefore I deserve this new thing,” we might say. Soon, to keep up with the advances and the world around us we find ourselves as Patrick Morley describes, “Buying things we don’t need, with money we don’t have, to impress people we don’t like.” It is a vicious cycle and one that we need to escape from.

This verse in Romans holds the key to freeing ourselves from the rat race. As we read this verse we see that everything comes from God. What you have He has blessed you with. And what you do with what you have shows whether you respect Him or not.

Your attitude towards things should be glorifying to God, since it came from Him. It really comes down to stewardship and being a good steward of what God has entrusted you with. If we can adopt this way of thinking we will begin to see a release from the stress of the rat race.