What’s at the Center of My Life?

In Matthew 22:37-38 I read, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” (NIV)

God wants to be at the very center of my life. Not on the edge, and not just a segment. The God of the universe—the God who made and loves me—wants to be the hub of my heart and the axis of my existence.

Here’s another way to look at it: God wants to have a love relationship with me.

The Bible says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38 NIV).

The truth is, I’m going to center my life around something. I may center it around my career, family, or hobbies. I may center it around making money or being popular.

But putting anything besides God at the center of my life is an idol. Exodus 20:3-4 says, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea” (NLT).

How do I know when something has taken center stage in my life instead of God? It’s simple. When God’s not at the center, I start to worry and stress out; I get fearful. These are the warning lights that God is no longer the nucleus of my heart.

In contrast, how can I tell when my life is centered on God? I’m at peace. I stop worrying. The Bible says, “A sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:7 The Message).

Ask yourself this: “What’s going to be the center for the rest of my life?”  It’s the most important thing I will ever have to decide.

In summary, God wants to be at the very center of my life. Not on the edge, and not just a segment. The God of the universe who made and loves me, wants to be the hub of my heart and the axis of my existence. God wants to have a love relationship with me. I’m going to center my life around something. Putting anything besides God at the center of my life is an idol. Exodus 20:3-4 reminds me, “You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything...”. When something has taken center stage in my life instead of God, I start to worry and stress out; I get fearful. These are the warning lights that God is no longer the nucleus. When my life is centered on God, I’m at peace and I stop worrying. So what’s going to be the center for the rest of my life?  It’s the most important thing I will ever have to decide.

Jesus said that if I truly love God and my neighbor, I will naturally keep the commandments. This is looking at God's law positively. Rather than worrying about all we should not do, I should concentrate on all I can do to show my love for God and others. 

People Pleasing Is Idolatry

In Galatians 1:10 I read, “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” (NLT)

In life, I have to please only one person: my Creator. I only have to please the Lord, the one who made me and has a purpose for my life. That simplifies life enormously!

Jesus said, “I don’t try to please myself, but I try to please the One who sent me” (John 5:30 NCV). He’s saying, in effect, “I’m living for an audience of one.”

“People pleasing” is a form of idolatry. The first commandment in the Ten Commandments says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3 NIV).

Anything I put before God becomes a god. Anything that becomes number one in my life that isn’t God becomes my god.

The second commandment is, “You must not make for yourself an idol” (Exodus 20:4 NLT). Anything that replaces God in my life is an idol. Success, money and even a relationship can become an idol, If it is more important than God.

A “people pleaser” allows others' opinions to take first place in their lives. Those opinions become a god because they matter more than God’s opinion. I don’t tell people I’m a Christian because they might think less of me. I don’t want them to know I go to church because they may not like me. At that point, I have another god in your life. I have made an idol of people pleasing.

Paul says in Galatians 1:10, “I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant” (NLT).

Almost everyone wants to be liked. It’s tempting to want to please others. But don’t do it at the expense of pleasing God. As a servant of Christ, I have an audience of one. I need to only please God.

In summary, I shouldn’t try to win the approval of others. My goal should be to please God. If pleasing people is my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant. I have to please only one person: my Creator, the one who made me and has a purpose for my life. “People pleasing” is a form of idolatry. The first commandment in the Ten Commandments says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” So anything I put before God becomes a god. Anything that becomes number one in my life that isn’t God becomes my god. The second commandment is, “You must not make for yourself an idol.” Anything that replaces God in my life is an idol. Success, money and even a relationship can become an idol, If I let it be more important than God. A “people pleaser” allows others' opinions to take first place in their lives. Those opinions become a god because they matter more than God’s opinion. Everyone wants to be liked. It’s tempting to want to please others. But I shouldn’t do it at the expense of pleasing God. As a servant of Christ, I have an audience of one. I need to only please God.

So, I shouldn't spend my life trying to please everyone. Paul had to speak harshly to the Christians in Galatia because they were in serious danger. He did not apologize for his straightforward words, knowing that he could not serve Christ faithfully if he allowed the Galatian Christians to remain on the wrong track. I need to consider whose approval I am seeking. Is it others’ or God's?  

Father, I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. Father, I pray for the courage to seek God's approval above anyone else's. I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for my new future job, finishing well in my old one, and for leading a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.