~ The World’s Answer To Finding Fulfillment! ~
As a way of
introducing ALN’s new Monday Series regarding our “Identity in Christ” I
thought it would be helpful to have a guest blogger, Tim Shefy, provide his
following thought-provoking post. I
encourage my readers to visit his blog entitled “Even If I Walk Alone” (It is listed in the right column under
“Check These Out.”)
We all want to feel significant; we want to know we are
here for a purpose and are making a difference in the world. I think the reason so many people ask the
“Why am I here?” question is because they feel insignificant and are searching
for something to fill the emptiness within them. Even Christians who realize that Christ is
the only one who can satisfy the deep longings in their soul often struggle
with trying to figure out their purpose in life. This is another of Satan’s favorite tricks;
he has convinced you of the need to search for something to make you feel
significant.
The Lie ~ For
as long as I can remember, and I suspect it is the same for you, we have been
taught that we acquire significance based on the things we do or the
accomplishments we achieve. We’re taught
to study hard throughout our youth and to choose careers that will allow us to
acquire the finer things in life.
Advertisements bombard us daily with images of what a successful person
looks like and with what sort of things they possess. Our eyes become enamored with the slick
imagery and we lose focus of who we are in Jesus Christ and of the mission we
have been created to fulfill.
It Started In The Garden ~ Satan has been at this a very long time. All the way back in the garden of Eden he
convinced Adam and Eve that they were really just pawns, and that if they
wanted to be wise like God they simply needed to eat the fruit from the tree of
wisdom. In other words, they could find
a higher worth, their own significance, by taking a certain action. They were the first to discover that when we
try and gain significance through our own efforts, we actually surrender that
which brought us worth in the first place.
Still, you and I continue to follow in their footsteps to this day. It’s funny how we read the Bible amazed that
the Israelites or Disciples could be so foolish and hard headed, yet six
thousand years later we are still mimicking the mistakes of the first man and
woman. Our pride says we would have done
better than God’s people in the past.
Our reality tells a different story.
Disillusionment ~
Disillusionment occurs when we recognize that despite our best efforts,
our quest for significance is falling woefully short. The career you imagined so vividly has turned
into long hours in a small cubicle for little pay and even fewer
accolades. Our fairytale romance has
turned into a mundane and predictable marriage.
The stuff you couldn’t wait to buy has resulted in credit card bills that
are draining what little money you have at an alarming rate. Significance seems like a long forgotten
dream as your life spirals further and further out of control.
Brokenness ~ This
is the point where you cry out to Jesus and beg Him to stop the world and let
you get off. But this is a wonderful
place, because it is here that you realize that you are nothing without
God. This is a place of brokenness in
the presence of the only One who can heal you.
As you let go of all you have been seeking and rest in His mercy and
grace, suddenly you realize that the significance you sought has been inside
you all along. God created you for a
purpose and placed His spirit within you; He marked you with His name and
called you His own. He has never cared
for the things you did in search of meaning; He has simply cared for you.
Finding significance ~
Satan’s lie of acquired significance says you must acquire and you must
achieve. The truth is, significance is
not earned but imparted mercifully upon you when you surrender your life to
Jesus. Your significance is found in
your Creator. The God of the universe
loves and cherishes you. In His eyes,
you are considered priceless. You matter
to God; you are special. You are
significant.
Question ~ What
is one way you have tried to achieve significance in your own life?
ALN Comment ~ The world tells us that we need to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps.” If you have never tried that—I suggest you do it right now! From a standing position reach down, grab your shoelaces (or any part of your footwear) and pull. How high did you get?
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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prominently displaying the following statement: Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free
blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid
Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/
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