I am currently reading Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. It has been a very profound read so far and here are a couple of thoughts I am wrestling with:
“I have an iron will, and all of my will has been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy. . . I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being and then I get to another stage and think I’m mediocre and uninteresting. . . Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that’s always pushing me, pushing me. Because even through I’ve become Somebody, I still have to prove that I’m somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.” Madonna
- One sign that you have made success and idol is the false sense of security it brings.
- Another sign that you have made achievement an idol is that it distorts your view of yourself.
- You cannot maintain your self-confidence in life unless you remain at the top.
- God’s Primary concern is not to help you achieve success.
- The God of Israel is not on a leash, he cannot be bought or appeased.
- God is not tame.
- God’s Grace puts everyone else in his debt. Not the other way around. We owe Him. He does not owe us success.
- When we forgive others it means that we absorb the loss and debt of that person. You bear it yourself. All forgiveness is costs.
the quote from Madonna resonates with me especially the last sentence. Thanks for the jolt. K.
ReplyDeleteThat is very good... I see myself struggling that way, too, sometimes. I find that I place "success" as a goal to attain above many other priorities that should be sought.
ReplyDeleteThe Word says it best: "Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you" - "These Things" not necessarily being the things we are seeking out, but rather the things in life that we need.
Great Post Pastor Mike. Thank you.I think that we all struggle with this in one way or another and/or to varying degrees.