Guest Post by: Gavin Guard
God’s Greatness
It’s so easy to forget the purpose that we have been created. We get caught up in the nuances of the world; how to be richer, how to be fitter, how to please others, how to get more stuff. And often, we can feel lost, having the sense that there is something more that we are not experiencing. How do we get out of this trap of this passivity and this spiritual amnesia; have we forgotten how great our Creator is?
I sit here writing in the wake of the 2017 Great American Eclipse that everyone is was so hyped up for. I am in awe as I think about how the same God who made the moon, the sun, and the whole universe is the same One who gave and sustains life to every soul on Earth. Creation accurately reflects just a glimpse of who our God is. When we ponder creation, do we become humbled, amazed, or speechless? Our God is holy, omnipotent, and eternal and He deserves praise. In Psalm 19:1, it says that
“the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands.”
Have you ever thought about why you were put on this Earth? Just like the skies and the heavens, we are to praise God as His creation. We are to glorify him and to enter into a divine relationship with Him as our Maker.
Discipleship as Love
Based on my reading of the Bible, one of the best ways to glorify God is discipleship. John writes in John 14:15,
“ ‘If you love me, keep my commands.’ ”
In 1 John 4:19-21, we see another depiction of love,
“We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
These two verses sum up all of the commands from God; to show your love for God by obeying his commands and showing love through loving your brothers and sisters. What a better way to obey God’s command to love others than by investing in their eternal destiny? Sometimes, the Christians who share their faith are deemed and labeled as arrogant, but how is it arrogant to be genuinely concerned for someone else’s eternal life? By sharing your faith and the Good News of Jesus so that someone will be saved in and of itself is an act of love.
In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus gives us a pretty clear command to followers of Himself.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”
A Tie Into Marriage
“How does this apply to marriage?” you might ask. Well, quite frankly, our view of marriage should be to serve God and His kingdom with everything that we have. Everything should be done for His glory. In tandem with our spouses, we should be sharing our faith and sharing what Jesus had done for us. In practicality, we can be spending energy diving into the Word, letting it change our hearts and then sharing it with our family, our friends, our co-workers, our neighbors, and even strangers who might have never heard the Truth.
We should reflect Paul’s fervency for trying to save others,
“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people…” – Romans 9:2-3
Paul seriously desires to be “cut off” from Christ and all His goodness if it meant the eternal lives of his brothers and sisters would be saved. That, to me, is a crazy love for God’s people.
After an honest reflection of our heart, do we have that same type of desire? Are we loving God by keeping His commands? Are we working with our wife to share our faith? This is no small matter- after all, we are dealing with the eternal fate of our neighbors.
