We Exist…
I was reading from a book by John Piper entitled, “Don’t Waste Your Life”, and I was struck by the idea that so many people who call themselves Christians, and so many “Christian” organizations and institutions totally miss the point.
Life is not about moralism or religion. Life is about Jesus. A Christian isn’t someone who is good, he is someone who glorifies Christ. I believe that if Christ is not central in your life, and that He is only the means to the end of Heaven, that you don’t really understand the gospel. The gospel is not about creation, it is about the creator. The gospel isn’t even about Heaven (which Jesus created), but about Jesus Himself. The gospel begins and ends with Christ. And if our lives don’t reflect that, we show a great ignorance of the greatness of Christ.
Jesus is everything. He is our sustainer and our life, and without Him all of life is a waste. And when we live like the rest of the world and act like being good is good enough we belittle the glory of Christ.
If Christ is not made much of in our lives, they are wasted. We exist to make Him appear in the world as what He really is – magnificent. If our life and death do not show the worth and wonder of Jesus, they are wasted.
John Piper
from “Don’t Waste Your Life” p. 64
Jesus didn’t come to earth to make us good Christian people, He came to change our lives so that we might bring Him glory. The gospel is more than living morally and believing the facts about Jesus. It is more than being good and doing good, it is about the glory of Christ.
We exist to show His glory to everyone we can. We exist to be Christ to others because of Christ in us. But more than anything, we exist to make His name famous, to proclaim His excellence, and to live for His glory, and not our own.
