2010

The year 2009 is filled with stories of good times and bad times, victories and defeats, highs and lows, making new friends and losing some, new relationships and broken relationships, laughs and tears, good movies and terrible movies, making promises and breaking some, excitement and boredom, learning and forgetting, forgiveness and hatred, peace and anxiety, sleeping in and sleepless nights, life and death, happy times and sad times, love and loneliness, overcoming and failing, etc…

There are so many variables.

Everything is always changing.

Except God.

The only thing that stayed the same, the only constant in my ever-changing life is the God of the universe himself. His love stays the same. His grace stays the same. His message stays the same. His goal stays the same (James 1: 17).

There is nothing so good that I can do to make God love me anymore, but there is also nothing so bad that I can do to make God love me any less. God’s grace is enough. God’s message is love. God’s goal is His glory.

It is uncomfortable to think that we are not on the top of God’s priority list, He is. All throughout the scripture, God is making Himself known. After all, God is the most God-centered being ever. He demands praises unto Himself, He made creation exalt His name, and He wants to be glorified (Deuteronomy 4: 24).

Egomania?

Absolutely not!

Have you ever won something? Overcame an obstacle? Found an extra piece of chicken nugget in your meal?

Do you just sit there and show no emotions whatsoever? Absolutely not! You express it. Whether you smile, shout, jump around, or break into a sporadic dance, you don’t hold it in. Because your joy is not complete until you make positive statements about a person, object or idea, either in public or privately! Praise completes joy (1 John 1:4).

Therefore it would make sense for God to demand praise from His creation. After all, wouldn’t the highest possible praise to the highest possible being complete the highest possible joy?

It is not egomania, it is grace. It is not demanding, it is love.

There is nothing great than our God.

This is the God that I want to serve and glorify.

My life might not be able to back this up yet, but I am trying, I really am. I don’t want to make anybody upset, especially my friends. I am just listening and actually doing something for a change. I pray that you and I will grow so close to God that we can hear Him whisper.

So twelve days into this New Year, I have one goal in mind:

I want to live a life that is not distracted and completely devoted to knowing God and to make Him known, while I still have the chance (1 Corinthians 7: 35, Isaiah 26:8).

I don’t want a life that is explainable without the Holy Spirit – Francis Chan, Forgotten God.