God wants you to have an awesome life! But this truth comes with a trick. God doesn’t want you to pursue an awesome life for yourself. God wants you to provide an awesome life for others. That’s what will make your life awesome!
We were not born for our pleasure. We were born for God’s purposes. The world became a better place when Jesus came. The world continues to become a better place when we serve His purposes.
John 6:11-15 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. NIV
Notice they had their fill so they loved this man who met their needs. Suddenly Jesus is their bread king. Anybody who gives us what we want is who we want to be king. This happens every 4 years in the United States of America.
“Give us bread and give us circus”? Roman Poet, Juvenal, wrote this accurately describing what he saw as the downfall of roman society. The Roman government started providing lavish entertainments to satisfy the people with circus and bread. Satisfying people blinded them into exchanging what was meaningful for what was popular.
Any parent knows that getting what we want instead of what we need isn’t in our best interest. Playing hide and seek at a friend’s house as a kid I hid in his dad’s car outside. Trying to get in the floorboard to hide I found several boxes in the way. I managed to maneuver around and get down beside them and then began wondering what was in them. Boxes of Butterfinger candy bars! I’d hit the jackpot. After a while the temptation was too great and I began eating candy bars. I don’t know how many I ate that night but it was so many I got sick. I’d hit the jackpot! However, after I got what I wanted I hated what I had.
Our King has come and many are trying to reduce Him to the bread king giving them what they want. The problem is when we get what we want we rarely have what we need.
We were not born for our pleasure. We were born for God’s purposes.
True relationship with God gives birth to meaningful relationship with others. The world became a better place when Jesus came. The world continues to become a better place when we serve the eternal purposes of God.
God wants you to have an awesome life! But this truth comes with a trick. God doesn’t want you to pursue an awesome life for yourself. God wants you to provide an awesome life for others. That’s what will make your life awesome!