Nuggets from Instruments
I am currently reading Paul David Tripp’s book “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” It calls for us as people in need of change to help people in need of change. Foundational for this is to understand who we are and what our problem is. Here is a quote that is helpful in understanding life and our own hearts.
The bottom line is this: The problem is not that God is not here or that He is inactive; the problem is that we don’t see Him. Our perspective on life is often tragically godless. We miss the one thing worth seeing, the glory of the ever-present God. When this happens, our lives are not built on the foundation of God’s glory, which was intended to give our lives a starting point and a destination, a reason to get up and the strength to go on. Every aspect of my existence was meant to be filled with the glory of God. Everything I think, every decision I make, every word I speak was meant to be shaped by a humble acknowledgement of his claim on my life. I was created to live for his glory.
As we’ve seen, every human life pursues some kind of glory. If it is not the glory of God, it will be some kind of earthbound psuedo-glory. It may be money and possessions or acceptance and respect. It could be achievement and success or intellectual prowess and philosophical acumen. Perhaps it is the power to control people, the affection of a certain person. or a certain standard of living. At the root of many difficulties and disasters is the pursuit of the wrong glory.
These quotes provide a great opportunity to evaluate what we live for and to reorrient our lives and thinking in order to make God’s glory our supreme purpose in living.