“God does not exist to make much of us. We exist to make much of Him.” ~ John Piper

Get over yourself. Ouch!! Self-focus can be so detrimental in our lives, if we are trying to live for God. If we are so ME-focused then we cannot possibly see the needs of those around us. That means we are not sensitive to how the Lord wants us to serve and love others. It is always ME, ME, ME, and how about some more ME!!

We are all guilty. Our lives are busy, and we have important issues! Hey, we’ve got homework to finish, projects to complete, sermons to write, babies that need changing, rooms that were supposed to have been cleaned weeks ago, and messages to tweet!

The message of Jesus in Matthew 23 was not just condemning the scribes and the Pharisees, what He had to say is just as relevant to us today. It isn’t about ME. “The greatest among you must be a servant.” Matthew 23:12. Selfishness is rampant in our society and in the Church. We are so busy focusing on our needs and wants that the importance of servanthood seems to take a back seat. You weren’t put here on this earth for your ultimate happiness. You were put here to worship and recreate, and that means spreading the Good News. “Go ye therefore…” Matthew 28:19.

I am definitely not a country music fan, not knocking you if that’s your fave, but have you heard the Toby Keith song, “I Wanna Talk About Me?”,  The lyrics are perfect:

“I wanna talk about me

Wanna talk about I

Wanna talk about number one

Oh my me my

What I think, what I like, what I know,

What I want, what I see

I like talking about you, you you you

Usually, but occasionally

I wanna talk about ME!”

Doesn’t that describe us sometimes?  Max Lucado, in his book appropriately titled, “It’s Not About Me”, says, “How can we be bumped off self-center? Attend a seminar, howl at the moon, read a Lucado book? We move from me-focus to God-focus by pondering Him. Witnessing Him. Following the counsel of the Apostle Paul: “Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.

Beholding Him changes us. Couldn’t we use a change?

If we are focusing on Him first, if HE is at the center, then it isn’t so much about ME. If we brag about the things we have done, we get the credit. But when we boast about what Christ is doing in our brokenness then we can take a backseat and He is pushed to the forefront. “Jesus be the center of it all!”

“Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9.

We trade that mirror (quit looking at ME) for a window and start looking OUT at the world around us by focusing on the needs of others. When we realize we aren’t here just for our own happiness, it changes our heart and our mind. Jesus summed up the Law in two sentences:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” And number two? “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:30-31.

The story behind the popular Matt Redman song, “Heart of Worship”, is a great example of trading your mirror for a window. “There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” Redman recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voice. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”

Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”

Matt says the question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers, encountering God in a fresh way.

“Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. The Heart of Worship simply describes what occurred.” (David Schrader, Crosswalk.com)

(The picture above is of my son, Kristopher, taken of him when he was in Glascow, Scotland. I thought it fitting for today’s post!)

Really when it comes down to it, He was sent here because He loved. “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

Guess what we were sent here to do? You got it, to love. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34.

Lord, help us to put away the mirrors and start looking out our windows.

We may be surprised at the difference it will make in our attitudes and focus!