Center of the Universe
When we look at it like God is going to do something big with our lives, I'm afraid that the motivation behind that thought is not God's glory, but rather our own. Due to our sinful nature, our thoughts tend to be centered around ourselves. That's is why we get so angry when treated unfair and why shake our fists at God when we experience pain. It's because we are what is central to us. We are what is in the forefront of our minds. We fail to see past ourselves to infinite value of Christ.
Dying to self, God's glory and Joy
Seeking pleasure is what we were created for... We were made to look long
upon God and marvel at His greatness. Fountains of joy overflow to us, through deep fellowship with our Great King. Sin sells us a lie... It tells us that we can experience real pleasure by indulging with such and such a thing. To take up a new hobby or make more money, but the only way to experience the fullness of joy is to die. To die to our own glory seeking and live for the glory and renown of God.
God Does Want to do Something Big in Your Life
If you are a believer, God has already done something amazing in your life, He has breathed new life into your soul and made your heart able to love and adore Him. The focus on a need for something big to happen in our lives, takes the focus off the biggest thing that has ever happened to you... God! How cheap is the thrill of self when compared to immeasurable riches of a life in Christ. To know joy… true joy in the risen Savior. Not only a hope in eternal life, but to realize that eternal life with everything we have ever craved, yet without fellowship with our God would be hell. Don’t settle for cheap glories.
The Root of Bad Thinking
Maybe this sounds foreign to you and perhaps this is something you have never heard (even from your pastor), but if you read the pages of scripture you will find that it is true. Yet, where does this false idea come from? Where do we get this notion that we must live a glorious life? Partly it’s inherent in our own sinfulness, we naturally gravitate toward what makes much of ourselves and not God. But, partly it’s due to the prevailing false teaching in the church today. Don’t buy into the popular, emotion driven preaching of the pastors on your television (and in some churches) and don’t trust them just because they are on the NY Times best sellers list. If the preaching is centered around you, your empowerment and your prosperity; it is not centered around God and His beautiful Gospel. The one thing that preaching is supposed to be about.
everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7, ESV)
Yet he saved them for his name's sake,
that he might make known his mighty power. (Psalm 106:8, ESV)
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11, ESV)
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth ofknowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (Philippians 3:8, ESV)
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21, ESV)
For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.(Jude 1:4, ESV)
And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:2-3, ESV)
