In a book I’ve been reading one chapter speaks about four liberating truths that help us in our daily lives and in our relating to others. The writers say that to fail to live by them leads both to negative emotions and sinful behaviors. Let me share them with you:
1. God is great – so we do not need to be in control. When we want to be in control we begin to dominate or manipulate people. Or we fear or worry about things being out of control. Yet if God is in control we can trust Him, even when things don’t turn out as we may want or imagine they should.
2. God is glorious – so we do not need to fear others. Our sinful natures can lead us either to seek peoples’ approval or fear their rejection. Out of insecurity we depend upon what others think of us. However, God’s glory is greater than peoples – He is the one to ‘fear’, and we get to share in His glory and relate to others out of His acceptance.
3. God is good – so we do not have to look elsewhere. It sometimes appears that the world offers greater pleasures than God does. But this is illusory. God is good, and living in Him is the greatest joy we can know. He is the source of true pleasure. We need faith to cultivate that joy in daily living.
4. God is gracious – so we do not have to prove ourselves. We live in a society that rewards success. Our identity and sense of worth is tied with our performance. Perceived failure comes as a crushing blow. But God’s grace is such that He loves and accepts us as we are. We have nothing to prove. We can live for Him freely, without having to win the plaudits of others through performance.
Failing to live by these truths can lead us into sin through anger, frustration, or other experiences. May we remind ourselves of these liberating truths and so relate well to others, trusting in God’s greatness, glory, goodness and grace.
Can you see any behavior in yourself that may be prompted by a failure to see God in these ways? How might you change?
(acknowledgement to the book, ‘Everyday Church’ by Tim Chester &Steve Timmis).