Honestly, sometimes what I write scares me. Something I wrote a few weeks ago scared me. As I finished the article and moved on with my life, it began to nag in the back of my mind. I had to be wrong. I definitely had to be 100% wrong. Who did I think I was? God?
I had boldly proclaimed, “God is going to keep showing me His glory. His divine goodness. His goodness which is so good and powerful and holy that it can make something like me just as good as it.”
Who was I to think someday I would be just as good as God? Now in my new nature, I am as good as He is right now, but this sinful body I drag around with me prevents me from acting just as good as God.
After a few days of pondering my own statement, I decided I better check with someone who has been following Jesus a lot longer than me. Someone I love and respect. As I composed my email, I discovered the piece of the puzzle I was missing.
It was true that someday I was going to be just as good as God. He after all gave me His very own righteousness. His righteousness is perfectly good and pure and holy when I have it too. But there would be one that thing would not change when I shed my mortal body, my position would not change. God would still be God, and I would still not be God. I would still be a human being. A perfectly righteous, holy and good human being.
I thought about what this meant on a practical level. What would a perfectly holy, righteous and good human being do?
The answer was easy. A perfectly good person would give God perfect adoration and worship. They would never respond to their own needs and desires, but only to their God’s. As one of His creatures, they would bow before Him in perfect worship.
I realized that night that a perfect human simply responds to God instead of people and circumstances. My destiny is heaven. In heaven I will respond to God perfectly. For the first time in my existence, I will give Him exactly what He deserves. 100% of my attention, focus and energy. I will not reserve anything for myself or others.
So many times in life, I don’t respond to God. I choose to respond to myself, others and circumstances. God says, “Love others as I have loved you.” I say, “But God, they definitely don’t deserve that.”
God says, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” I say, “Did you hear? He said to love myself! Hurray!!!”
Often I don’t respond to Him; instead I choose to respond to what I think are my own needs but are actually just selfish desires. I twist His words to make me feel better. I do what I can to protect myself. He says self-protection has no place in the life of a follower of Christ. I say I will never be able to take care of others if I don’t hoard up wealth and provision for myself first.
Over the course of this last week, I have actually taken the time to stop and occasionally ask myself, “If you were responding to God right now instead of man, what would you do?” Twice it has changed my decisions. Once I stayed home to rest instead of attending an event I was committed to attending. Responding to God meant resting instead of being the overly committed, die-hard group member.
I have begun to think of becoming like Christ as simply learning how to respond to God instead of whatever else may capture my attention.
Someday I will worship Him perfectly. I long for the day when I do. Until then, may I learn that what He says is true, and what I dream up just isn’t! His Word is trustworthy. My rationalization has no foundation. It is built on sinking sand.
Do you respond to God or man? When was the last time you caught yourself lying to yourself to make yourself feel better?
Comments