It's Not About Us

 A critical key to our redemption is realizing that it's about God and not about us. The church in the west struggles to appeal to people who are supremely self-absorbed. In our radically individualistic culture, people are not interested in something unless they are shown, "what's in it for me". So, we try to draw people to the church by showing the benefits of acknowledging God and participating in the church community. The danger is that some will be content with this. They may profess to be believers, but for them, it's still primarily about themselves. God brings added value to their lives and gives them a greater sense of peace. God and the church are a resource to tap into when they feel a need for something religion can supply. Others get beyond this level and become concerned for their eternal destiny. They may seem more earnest about the faith, but it is still mostly centered on themselves and their effort to avoid hell. Heaven for them becomes the hope of perfect, eternal self-indulgence: the heavenly golf course where they play endlessly in a twosome with Jesus. It was not for this kind of faith that Christ suffered unspeakable agonies on the cross. Christ came so we would put off our infantile obsession with ourselves and learn that when we become devoted to him in fervent love, we discover in His presence fullness of joy and at His right-hand pleasures forevermore. Only those who love God and live for him will know the joy and satisfaction of fulfilling the purpose for which we were made.