When I was young I thought that God was on an ego trip…
Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada and don’t get me wrong, I'm not saying that God is consumed with His own ego as though that were all He could think about. It’s just that when I was a kid, I was a bit bothered that God seemed to always be telling people how wonderful He was. I got the impression that God just had to be worshiped... that he needed it. That somehow, he needed a big crowd of people adoring Him. Now granted, that was when I was a child, but I bet – I just bet – that there are many people, in fact perhaps many young believers, who just might wonder the same. And don’t be embarrassed if you’re one of them. Do you ever question exactly why God wants us to get to know Him?
Well, question no longer, because let me suggest this: Suppose you, like God, were the most true, just, pure, lovely, and praise-worthy being in existence. And what if everything else in the universe that had any of these qualities got them from you? For that matter, suppose that without you, these qualities would never have existed.
If that were the case, then for absolutely anyone around you to improve in any way, they would have to become more like you. For you to ask men to think about these good qualities would be to ask them to think about you. Their ego trips would be wrong, for then they would be centering their thoughts around sin and imperfection, but your ego trip would be glorious. Do you see where I'm going with this? So the point is, when God asked us to think about Him, He asks us to think about everything that is true, just, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. Philippians 4 tells us to actually think about God when it says, “Brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.”
God knows that the more we get to know Him, the more we will know of life - real life. He understands that by walking with Him, we will better comprehend genuine love - after all, He is love. God understands that if He wants us to be wise or good or pure, then we must look to His wisdom, His goodness and His purity… only then can we possibly change for the better. God wants us to get to know him - not because He needs our worship, but because we desperately need His strength. It has nothing to do with satisfying His ego, but everything to do with finding life.
Take a look at Acts 17:24-28. It states there that in God we move and breathe and have our very being. If the being described in Acts 17 were anyone other than God, you’d definitely say he was on a very big ego trip. But the being described there is the God of the universe and His ego trip has a very special purpose. It is to glorify Himself and to make His love known to the peoples of the earth… it is to extend His grace and goodness throughout the whole world… and it is to transform the kingdoms of darkness into the kingdom of the light of His dear Son. This is why God insists that we pay Him homage and give Him the worship due His precious name. And speaking of His name, don’t forget to visit me at joniandfriendsradio.org to secure “The Names of God” on this beautiful 12-page laminated foldout highlighting the various names of the Lord and what each name means. Again, get your free copy at joniandfriendsradio.org, or call 888-522-5664.And, finally, bow your heart before the one true God whose ego trip is glorious and grand and good for your soul.
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