Not me. This life is not about me. As much as I want it to be sometimes, my life is not meant to be a self-pleasing, self-serving venture. There is nothing good that comes of such a life, and God did not create us to live so.
Francis Chan, in his book Crazy Love, speaks on this idea. In Chapter Two of the book, he talks about the fact that God is what life is all about and that our whole purpose on earth is to bring Him glory. This is a fundamental truth to any Christ-follower, but applying this truth to everyday life is tricky business. We are naturally selfish people who are bred to be puffed up by cultural mantras like "believe in yourself", "go after your dreams", and "don't sell yourself short".
It is true that God deems each of us precious and expects us to be people who pursue excellence. It is also true that the Lord has many promises for us, such as the idea that He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), He will not give us more than we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), and that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:35-39). Yet, in spite of the amazing love Christ has for us and the promises He gives to His children, it doesn't change the fact that we are created for His glory, not the other way around.
I am grappling with this truth in profound ways. Am I really willing to do whatever the Lord bids? Am I really about His glory and not my own? How does one even accomplish this? It must be by a constant surrender and a daily cross-carrying and denial of self (Luke 9:23-24).
I pray that my life will not be about me. What a shallow vision that would be! Dying to self is painful, but I pray the pain will never prevent me from making my life about the glory of God.
1 comment:
Crazy Love is sooo good and I don't usually even like to read books, but I made it through this one this year (usually while subbing). I found myself very mesmerized by his tho't patterns when I read a chapter at a time. But each chapter took so long b/c I, too, had to constantly stop and question myself about whether I really understood and lived the scriptures he was pointing out. Even so, it was comforting and built up some positive anticipation for when I got to read the next chapter. What I liked the most was seeing what God has already done in my life to alter my mindset from the accepted norm in the US so I could at least BEGIN to live more fully the way the scriptures teach. But this is just the beginning...
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