Progress vs. Redemption

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10

If you know me well, you know that I’m an avid reader. I love a good book, and at any given time, you’ll find that I’m in the middle of reading several books at once. I love to read, and I love to learn. A few of the books I’m currently reading are rocking my world, in a good way. My worldview, my mentality, my understanding of who God is and how He works are just a few of the ways that my life is being challenged right now, and I am loving it. More than anything, I want to walk in accordance with God’s Word, and I desire my life to be a reflection of His Son, Jesus Christ. I want to look like Jesus, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus. It is my heart’s desire. Yet, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to accomplish this in the world that we live in. Everything in our culture shouts “self” and “success”, and any pursuits that would be opposite of those things are looked upon as less than or simply a waste of time. Even well intending Christians will at times discourage the radical, sold-out, completely self-sacrificing, all in life for Jesus under the assumption that a successful life is of most value, of utter importance. Whether said in word or in deed, this is the mentality that resides in the majority of our culture, even within the church.

God’s mission is clear throughout scripture. It’s stated again and again, said in numerous different ways and through countless stories of the faithful that have gone before us. God’s mission is His glory. Period, bottom line. Everything that the heart of God is about is rooted in His glory to be made known through the redemption of mankind. His heart for the poor, the orphan, the widowed, the mistreated, and the marginalized is intended to bring glory to His name through His followers reaching out and loving these people as He does. His desire for redemption for the lost is rooted in His glory being made known as each sinner finds salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God’s mission is His glory, the fame of His name and His renown.

The disconnect occurs when His fallen creation pursues their mission as opposed to His. Throughout history, man’s pursuits have been towards progress and success. Live the American Dream. Achieve much. Gain more. Become known. Be successful. Increase your blog subscribers. Portray your image on Facebook as flawless. Have the most followers on Twitter. Become sought after…the endless tauntings of our self-driven culture shout in opposition to the heart of God. It has become, even within the walls of the church, God’s mission vs. My mission. Most would say with some level of sincerity, “Yes, I believe in God, and I want to follow Him.” Until it messes with my mission. Until it alters my plans. We are far too driven towards personal success, progress, fame, and glory that we’ve forgotten our primary purpose here on this earth: to bring God glory. He created us for His glory, to display His splendor. How are you doing that in your day-to-day? Whom are you reaching? What dark places are you bringing His light into? If we are to truly unite ourselves with this Jesus, we must make His mission our mission. We must reject the values of this world in order to embrace the heart of God: His glory. God’s mission is His glory displayed through redemption. Man’s mission is progress displayed through success. Which are you going to be about? Which will define your life? Because we were designed to find a purpose. If we reject God’s, we will choose our own. Choose to participate in the story of redemption.