(A version of this post was originally published Nov 23, 2020 under the title “Accomplishing Goals For God vs Pursing God Who Then Gives Us His Goals.”)
Pursing a relationship with God should always be the most important thing in our lives, and it is very different from pursing accomplishments for God.
The goals we have and are pursuing should not come before nor should they define our relationship with God. Rather our relationship with God should define and result in us having His goals.
Too often in Christianity, we set out to love and have a relationship with God, but instead of allowing God to direct us and define the goals we pursue, we make this check list of how we plan to be good Christians. Then we approach God through that check list of goals. We get focused on doing Christianity by pursuing things like giving a tithe, going to church, praying for others, etc. while neglecting first and foremost to pursue an actual relationship with God.
“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” ~Titus 3:4~
Noticed the order? It’s not goals (good works) first and then God. It’s God first and then His goals.
There is an excellent book by Robert S. McGee called The Search for Significance: Seeing Your True Worth Through God’s Eyes. Below is a brief description of the book from Christainbook.com:
“Learn how to be free to enjoy Christ’s love while no longer basing your self-worth on your accomplishments or the opinions of others. Robert S. McGee’s book, The Search for Significance, shows readers how four false beliefs regarding performance, approval, blame, and shame, have kept you from the joy of abundant life in Christ.”
A friend recommended this book to me, and when I finally got the chance to read it, I was surprised by how deeply it impacted me. As I turned through its pages, I realized how much pressure I was placing on myself to be “doing things for God” and how much pressure the Christian community as a whole places on performance, while neglecting true relationship.
We complicate what was never meant to be complicated: Our value to God.
Challenge: Live in the truth that God values you, and that even if you were incapable of ever doing a scrap of service for Him, He would still value you. God’s love for you is unconditional!
When the rocks speak 