God-Centered Mindset

In our egocentric culture today, have you noticed how certain actors, athletes, and "famous" people live completely for themselves? They stuff their lives with cars, toys, yachts, relationships, airplanes, and nothing seems to ultimately quench their hunger for satisfaction. The main reason is because living for self alone was never the ultimate design for our existence (Isaiah 43:7). Sadly, many people who live 100% for themselves not only become the gloomiest people in the world, but devolve into self-destruction. Why? Simply put, a selfish lifestyle will never deliver the happiness and freedom it promises. It's not wrong for one to be wealthy, influential, and pursue big dreams and goals. Indeed, Job was a wealthy man who lived early in history and had a large influence. Even though God sent tremendous family, physical, and material trials, Job garnered a God-centered mindset (Job 42:1-6). Conversely, an egotistical lifestyle without God is a dead-end street. Some of the saddest people in the world have the stench of "self-worship" surrounding them. Ultimately, a selfish lifestyle is suicidal because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). In direct contradistinction to this mindset is how the bible begins! An incredible yet familiar verse is Genesis 1:1 which says, "In the beginning, GOD created the heavens and the earth." What's amazing is how many times "GOD" is mentioned in Genesis 1 alone! In the thirty-one verses of Genesis chapter one, "God" is referred to over 30 times! Do you know what that tells me? Can you feel the intention God has for these verses? From the beginning, GOD is the focus of the bible ...not me. God wants to broadcast Himself as the center of our universe. From the beginning, it was about God and it will always be about God. Throughout history and eternally fixed in the mind of God is His passion is to glorify Himself and His Son Jesus Christ. Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:31, "Whether then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." If God's passion is to glorify His Son Jesus Christ, shouldn't that be your passion? Our greatest enemy in life will always be the voice that whispers and sometimes screams for self-adulation. How will you handle these clamoring voices? When people are around you, do they sense the love of Christ or do they smell the odor of selfishness. Are they attracted to the Christ who envelops your life, or are they repelled by the atmosphere of ego that clouds your life? I know it's easy to orbit our minds around ourselves, but God wants to glorify Jesus through you (Philippians 2:12-13). Our world and communities don't need more selfish people, they need you and me to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40). Friends, amidst the challenge to exalt ourselves today, let's make much of Christ and His grace. Let's fight our tendency to have a selfish mindset and replace it with a God-centered one. If you do, you'll know the pleasure, joy and adventure of living God's way for God's glory.

From my heart,   Rick Hoppe Teaching Pastor Faith Bible Church "To see unbelieving people become committed followers of Jesus Christ."