We really do have a horrible proclivity to make everything about us. Think about it. When tragedy happens to someone somewhere, we are often unmoved because we are largely unaffected. But when tragedy happens near to us, we can barely deal with it it because it affects us so much. This is normal, but this is not right. This is just an illustration of our self-centeredness. I’m this way. I am this way because the world revolves around me. Right?

What tends to happen is we import this egocentric worldview into Christian theology… and it doesn’t fit. It doesn’t work. Because Christian theology is not about me, it is about God.

John Piper is helpful here in his book God is the Gospel:

“The acid test of biblical God-centeredness (and faithfulness to the gospel) is this: Do you feel more loved because God makes much of you, or because, at the cost of his Son, he enables you to make much of him forever? Does your happiness hang on seeing the cross of Christ as a witness to your worth, or as a way to enjoy God’s worth forever?” (pp.1-2)

Think about it for a minute. See, we generally associate the cross with our worth. “God gave His Son for me,” we think, “therefore I must be awesome.” But the cross is more declarative and illustrative of how awesome God is than how awesome we are. We are not loved by God because we are valuable, but we are valuable because we are loved by God. It makes all the difference in the world in how we live our lives. One more bit from Piper:

“We are willing to be God-centered, it seems, as long as God is man-centered. We are willing to boast in the cross as long as the cross is a witness to our worth. Who then is our pride and joy?” (pp.2-3)

Right?

How can we make much of God today? How can we make Him our pride and joy in this life?

I love it.