It’s Not All About
You!.
by Tom
Caballes
"But
he gives more grace. Therefore it
says, “God opposes the proud but gives
grace to the humble."
James 4:6 ESV
One of life’s greatest
challenges is how to be humble. We all seem to
be born self-centred and with an assumption
that life is all about me – my needs, wants,
ambitions, plans, and so on. CS Lewis said
that our chief sin is pride. Many people live
their lives with a sense of entitlement - as
if God and the world owe them so much that
they deserve everything good in this life;
when problems come, their world crumbles
apart. As a disciple of Jesus, Jesus is our
Master and Lord, and our goal is to make
ourselves lesser as we make God greater in our
lives. It is not an easy task, and it would
take a lifetime to complete it. Life is all
about God – His plans and will reign supreme
over mine. My goals and ambitions are as
nothing compared to fulfilling God’s plan for
my life. How about you – have you realised yet
that life is not all about you? Does God take
precedence over your plans and ambitions? Or
do you feel you are entitled to everything
good? Is life still all about you?
So How Do We Let
God Reign Supreme in Our Lives?
- Surrender
your life fully to God; no ifs or buts. Let
no area or room in your life remain under
God’s Lordship.Surrender to God your
past, your memories, your desires, and even
your weaknesses. Jesus is your Lord and
Master, not you. You are not entitled to
everything good, but God does. It isn't all
about you!
- Seek
God’s will for your life. Do not assume that
just because you like something, that is
already God’s will.Some people decide
on something and then ask God to bless their
plans. They assume that what they think,like or
feel is God’s plan already; this is not a
proper submission to God. Discernment is an
important part of discipleship. Ask
help from trusted people around when making
major decisions in life.
- Offer
your life as a living sacrifice to God. I
appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the
mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship. Do not be conformed to
this world, but be transformed by the
renewal of your mind, that by testing you
may discern what is the will of
God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 ESV) Living a
sacrificial life means
inconvenience
and hardships at times. You do not make the
call about your life – God does. Don’t just
look for the easy way – look for God’s way.
Embrace hardships as a normal part of life.
- Practice
denying yourself. Let God be first, others
second, and yourself last. It is okay if
your greatest ambitions and desires are not
met in this life. The most important thing
is for God’s will be done in your life.
- Learn
to serve God without expecting anything in
return. This is extremely hard to do, but
let your greatest joy and consolation
in life be doing God’s will and knowing that
you have pleased God. Your reward will come in due
time either in this life or in the next – be
patient, for it will surely come. The flesh
within seeks attention and
quick reward; overcome your flesh.
- Let
God be your greatest good, and nothing else.
Align all your will, desire, ambitions and
plans to that of God’s, and then you
will live a path hand in hand with God for
the rest of your life.
Other Scripture passages:
-
“If anyone would come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me. For whoever would
save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for my sake will find it.
(Matthew 16:24-25 ESV)
- Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will
exalt you. (James 4:10 ESV)
- He
has told you, O man, what is good; and
what does the LORD require of you but to
do justice, and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly with your
God? (Micah 6:8 ESV)
- Other
Bible verses: Luke 14:11; Colossians 3:12;
Ephesians 4:2; Proverbs 11:2 and Proverbs
18:12.
For
personal reflection or
group sharing
- In
what ways do you still have a sense of
entitlement in life?
- In
what ways does your life still revolve
around you first, then God next?
- How
can I align all my life’s ambitions, goals,
and plans to that of God’s?
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Tom
Caballes is the
National Senior
Administrator and a
National Coordinator
of the Lamb
of God, a
community of the
Sword of the Spirit
with 7 branches
located throughout
New Zealand. Tom
also leads Kairos
New
Zealand, an
outreach program for
high school,
university, and
post-university aged
people.
Tom and
his wife Mhel and
their two
daughters live in
Wellington, New
Zealand.
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.l
top illustration
(c) by Kevin Carden
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