My end, not my means.

Sometimes I lose sight of who God is. I make Him smaller in my mind. Too often I am guilty of using God as a means to an end, rather than seeing Him as my ultimate goal.

This past Sunday, the sermon reminded me of how often we take everything that God has to offer but leave Him standing alone. The passage we read was from Acts 8:18-23. In this passage Simon asks Peter if he can buy the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter answers Simon saying that he has “no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.”

It is so wrong for us to pursue God solely for the gifts that He so lovingly gives us. And this goes beyond physical gifts and prosperity. If you pursue God just to get that lovey-dovey feeling you are equally guilty of using God as a means to an end.

I have often heard it said that the Bible is God’s love letter written to us. While this may be true, the danger of looking at the Bible that way is that we make it all about ourselves. If it’s a love letter to me it should make me feel good and should always apply to what I’m feeling and going through. That is the wrong way to look at the Bible. We should be reading the Bible as a form of worship. Reading it to come closer to our God and Creator. Reading it to know Him more deeply and intimately.

I want to finish this post with some of the notes I took during the sermon on Sunday, and to remind you that I am not trying to condemn anyone: I am equally, if not more, guilty of using God for my own personal gain rather than for the pure joy of knowing Him and being in His presence.

Notes:

"If you come to Jesus for what He can give and not for Him, you are not a true Christian. Don’t treat God like your witch doctor to get what you really want. HE should be your heart’s greatest treasure."