When thinking about God-centeredness, what comes to mind for the believer in Christ? This may actually reveal a lot about whether a Christian really understands a God-centered life or not. A Christian might say, “I need to be more God-centered so:
1. I need to put God first in everything I do
2. I need to have my priorities straight
3. I need to give more of my time and service to God
4. I need to be more involved in church
5. I need to pray more and read my Bible more consistently
6. I need to witness and give out the gospel
Now, none of these responses are evil things. Yet, if this is where one’s God-centeredness begins, there is, indeed, a problem. Notice that these are all about one’s doing. To this person, God-centeredness is about what I do for God. It starts with an upside down perspective. God-centeredness begins with God and what He has done and is doing. It is, after all, His world! So it begins with the recognition, as a Christian, that all things flow down to believers from God. We embrace the truth that in the gospel God is the giver. We are recipients of His grace and mercy through Christ’s work. My responses may eventually be some of the above responses. However, before the doing, these ultimate responses are at the heart of God-centered thinking:
1. Thanksgiving for His wondrous works, mercy, and grace
The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7
Saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” Revelation 11:17
2. Delight in Him
But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. Psalm 5:11
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15
Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” Psalm 35:27
3. Humble dependence, for salvation in all parts is His work alone
He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption.Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” I Corinthians 1:30,31
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. II Corinthians 3:5
God-centeredness ultimately recognizes God’s glory as primary. It recognizes one’s need for Him. It recognizes that He is the source of all things, the sustainer of all things, and the ultimate goal of all things. He is our treasure and joy. Out of His love, mercy, and grace, He has given us the gift of Himself. So our first response must be the acknowledgement that we are humbly dependent creatures who have been rescued from our sin and rebellion. We recognize that this salvation is His work alone. We recognize that we cannot pay God back, nor does he want us to. He wants us to delight in Him and depend upon Him. Bottom line: our God-centeredness begins with God and continues in God.
Pastor Wilkes,
An excellent reminder, to be sure. I just posted an article on my blog titled “Legalism and Its Antidotes”, written by Domenic Smart. Our tendency to focus on ourselves and what we do for God is surely wrong-headed. Glad to see you blogging. Your influence on me continues even in cyber-space.
Great post! This perfectly captures a struggle I know I have in the course of my own sanctification.
[...] The Heart of God-Centeredness - God-centeredness ultimately recognizes God’s glory as primary. It recognizes one’s need for Him. It recognizes that He is the source of all things, the sustainer of all things, and the ultimate goal of all things. He is our treasure and joy. Out of His love, mercy, and grace, He has given us the gift of Himself. So our first response must be the acknowledgement that we are humbly dependent creatures who have been rescued from our sin and rebellion. We recognize that this salvation is His work alone. We recognize that we cannot pay God back, nor does he want us to. He wants us to delight in Him and depend upon Him. Bottom line: our God-centeredness begins with God and continues in God. – James Wilkes [...]