I think in our American selfishness we tend to focus on Romans 8:28, which tell us that God works all things together for our good. So when things don't seem to be working for our good, we get mad. But what does it mean for all things to work together for our good?
John Piper might shed a little light on the subject. He talks about how God is actually for Himself .. for us. He knows He is best for us, that His glory is the ultimate, and that He is completely love. Therefore, He is for Himself, but that is really what's best for us. Here's the link to the transcript of his sermon: Is God For Us or For Himself?
I think when we decide to follow Christ we should consider more Matthew 16:24-25, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
Deny myself. Ouch. Give up my plans for my life in trust that He will do me one better. Stop thinking about my needs and trusting Him to meet them. Not thinking of my time as my own, ever. I trust His character more than I trust mine, but that doesn't make it much less painful.
This life is not about me. Period. It's about Him. How do I fit into the story?
What do you think? I'm curious.
3 comments:
Really Like the blog! Thought I would try to comment on "How do I fit into the story?" God is for himself- He has been forever. Most of this can be found in Jonathan Edwards "The End for Which God Created the World." God is infinitely glorious in all of His excellencies. The question to ask is, "Why did God create the world" or "Why did he begin human history?" He did not need more glory, lest he cease to be God. He did not need greater fellowship, he has perfect fellowship with Himself. The nature of God's glory is that it is infinite - it is always increasing. Because God is of infinite worth, it is agreeable that God would create a people to see, savor and show His glory. In other words, if something is good, it will create expressions of itself as good. Therefore, Why did God create the world? Because it is his nature to express and disclose his goodness through and unto a people. From scripture we see that Christ has been crucified in all eternity, meaning that the Glory of Christ Crucified has been the blazing center of God's glory forever. But this means something very special for us. God's glory is his greatest priority- He is for himself first. But, God has done something very gracious- in all eternity he has decreed that the center of His glory would be the display of Christ's Glory THROUGH the Church. God has made His mission for His glory, AND His love for us, ONE great mission. 1) God glorifies Himself by loving us through Christ crucified, and 2) God loves us by glorifying Christ Crucified. So then, how do we fit into God's story? We, the Church, are at the center of God's story! We are the story, the expression, of God's glory (Sinners redeemed by Christ)! So, Christian, take great comfort, God's love for you is as great as his love for himself, because he has united them as The One Reason, or End, for which he does everything. God's intention to glorify Christ and to love the Church is one great mission. If Christ is glorified, the Church is satisfied, if the Church is receiving love through Christ, Christ is glorified. Finally, God will never need to create another story to express himself, because it will take forever for us to know and enjoy God's glory in Heaven. He would only need to create another story to express Himself if there was an end to our story with God. But!- Our story with God will last forever in Heaven, where it will take forever to fully know and enjoy God's glory because- His glory will increase and expand, especially in and through the Church, forever.
sorry for any typos. if it doesn't make sense, read Jonathan Edwards or John Piper, they explain it better.
There is a self that should be crucified: the self that loves the world. But the new self--the self that loves Christ above all things and finds its satisfaction in him--don't kill that self. That's the new creation. Glut that self on God.
"Go sell everything you've got young man and come follow me, and you'll have treasure in heaven." And he wouldn't do it. And Jesus said to his disciples, "It is really hard for a rich man to get into the kingdom of heaven. It's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven." Then the disciples were absolutely stunned, and they said, "Who then can be saved." And Jesus said, "With men it is impossible. Nobody can have the heart I'm calling for on their own. But with God," he says, "all things are possible." And then Peter pipes up, "We left everythig to follow you. What about us? We really sacrificed." And Jesus responds--I wish I knew the tone of his voice--and said, "Peter, no one has left houses or mother or father or brothers or sisters or lands or children for my sake who will not receive back one-hundred fold of mothers, sisters, brothers, lands, and children, in this life--along with persecutions--and in the age to come, eternal life. You cannot sacrifice anything that will not be repayed to you a thousand-fold. Dont' pity yourself when your head gets chopped off for me" (see Mark 10:17-31).
Yes I believe in self-denial. I believe in denying myself everything that would stand in the way of me being satisfied fully in God, and that's how I understand what the Bible means by self-denial. I believe that David Livingstone and Hudson Taylor--these great missionaries--were absolutely right, having come to the end of their lives and having lost wives and health and everything else except one thing, to say to Cambridge University students and people elsewhere, "I never made a sacrifice." That's right! I know what they mean and you know what they mean. And I believe that Jim Elliot who laid down his life as a young man was absolutely right to say, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." That's what I believe about self-denial.
www.benterry.com
Post a Comment