His glory

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So I have an addition to my last post. I ended with the comment that Christ died and took our place because God loves me. While this is true, the chapter I read this week in Radical by David Platt shed light on the truth that Christianity is not centered on us, but on God's glory. So I am not revoking my statement that God loves you or me, but rather adding to it. I will use some of David Platt's word to better explain:

"As wonderful as this sentiment sounds, is it biblical? Isn't it incomplete based on what we've seen in the Bible? "God loves me," is not the essence of biblical Christianity. Because if "God loves me" is the message of Christianity, then who is the object of Christianity?
      God loves me.
      Me.
     Christianity's object is me..... I will choose what is best for me. 
     The message of biblical Christianity is not "God loves me, period," as if we were the object of our own faith. The message of biblical Christianity is "God loves me so that I might make him- his ways, his salvation, his glory, his greatness- known among all nations." Now God is the object of our faith, and Christianity centers around him. We are not the end of the gospel, God is." pages 70-71

While I am not presbyterian, I went to a great PCA church (Christ Community Church!) in Athens, GA. And while I don't know much about the catechism, I do know that the first on is that "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." I think that is a great summary of our purpose. Everything I do can glorify God. My marriage, my church, my job, the way I encourage friends. I am reminded of what Matt Adair  always used to say "for God's glory and our good." Glorifying God isn't just a nice way to live your life, it's the way to live your life. It's for our good that we glorify him.

 I get stuck on those big words though. I worry too much about the nitty gritty. I ask but HOW do I glorify him? Is this glorifying him? Is that glorifying him? While the bible says to examine one-self, I often get so focused on the self in the self-examination. It comes right back to me. I get so focused on praying for God to show me how to glorify himself, that I don't get around to praying for other people and I have learned that when I pray more for other people than myself that I end up caring more about other people than myself and that is glorifying to God. Loving him and our neighbor. When I am praying about other people, I can be His ears and eyes and I will hear his voice and know where he wants me to go and who he wants me be to and what he wants me to say.

So to add to my previous post's statement: God loves me and you that we may bring GLORY to HIS name!!

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