satisfied in Him

the student pastor at our church, Casey Coats, shared these thoughts in a devotional that we send out everyday. i thought this was powerful and worthy of sharing with my blog readers.....

“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

John Piper offered this statement in his book, Desiring God, and it has stuck with me since I first read it. The concept is one that is contrary to what many think about Christianity. Some people believe that God wants us to follow his commandments, which make our lives less enjoyable, for His glory. Under this mentality, God is most glorified when we are most miserable!

Fortunately, that is the exact opposite of the truth. Hebrews 11:6 states, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” This verse states that there are two essential things to believe about God: 1) that he exists (that’s an easy one!) and 2) that he rewards those who seek him. Isn’t it interesting that according to this verse, the way that you please God is by expecting to be rewarded by him. That is truly alternative thinking. Psalm 37:4 reinforces this principle, stating, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

Good Christian boys and girls have long been taught that seeking their own happiness is wrong, sinful in fact. These scriptures teach us the exact opposite. It is good to seek your own happiness, so long as your happiness is in God! Who would want to believe in a god whom the closer and closer you get to the more and more miserable you become? When we seek God life gets better. Your circumstances may not get better, but your life does. John 10:10 says that Jesus came to give us life abundantly. Matthew 6:33 says that if you seek God, you won’t have to worry about anything else because God will give it all to you. Upon reading these verses it really does seem that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, so seek God and request that he make you happy. That is what pleases Him.

(if you would like to be added to our daily devotional e-mail distribution group please e-mail c|Life at info@clifec.com and simply put add to devo list in the subject line)