“For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible . . . everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.” Colossians 1:16 (MSG)
What’s my worldview? In other words, what lens do I use to look at the world around me? I we looked at a few worldviews that are popular in today’s culture—materialism, individualism, hedonism, and pragmatism—and the counter worldviews that God offers. Today l'm going to look at a few more.
Naturalism. Another word for naturalism is atheism. Naturalism says God doesn’t exist—or, if he does exist, he doesn’t matter. Naturalists believe that everything in life is a result of random chance. The naturalist says, “We’re all accidents of nature. There is no grand Creator. There is no grand design. There is no God.”
However, If God doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter, then I don’t matter. That’s the logical, rational conclusion of that worldview. My value comes from the fact that God thought me up, created me, and loves me.
The Bible says, “There are things about [God] that people cannot see. . . . But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made” (Romans 1:20 NCV). In other words, when we look at nature—instead of seeing that God doesn’t exist—we learn what God is like. We learn he’s creative, powerful, and organized; we learn he likes variety.
Humanism. Humanism says I'm in charge of my own life—that I'm the master of my own fate. And while most people wouldn’t say they worship themselves, when I believe I'm the center of it all, that’s basically what’s happening. For a humanist, I'm the center of my own universe.
The Bible says, “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:25 NIV). That’s what the humanist does.
Theism. Theism says that there is a God and he made me for his purposes. This is the worldview the Bible teaches. “Theism” comes from Theo, the Greek word for “God.”
The Message paraphrase says, “For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible . . . everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him” (Colossians 1:16). Look at that verse again. Everything—absolutely everything—was created by God, for a purpose.
All day, every day, so many worldviews compete for my allegiance. But the truth is that I was made by God and for God. Embrace that fact—and soon I'll find that life makes sense.
In summary:
Today's devotional contrasts several competing worldviews—naturalism, which denies God’s existence and purpose; humanism, which centers life on self; and theism, which Tom Ln God as Creator and life’s purpose-giver. Naturalism reduces life to random chance, stripping it of inherent value, while humanism exalts human control but ultimately replaces God with self. Theism, taught in the Bible, declares that everything was made by God and for God, giving life meaning and direction. In a world full of conflicting beliefs, recognizing that I was created by and for God is the foundation for a purposeful and coherent life.
Bottom Line:
Understanding my worldview shapes how I see myself, my purpose, and the world around me. Today, I'll take a few quiet minutes to honestly identify my current worldview, then compare it to what Scripture says — and choose one small step to align my thinking more closely with God’s perspective.
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