What's the difference between a God-centered Christian and a self-centered Christian? It is very apparent in how they live out their theology.
For God-centered Christians, life is primarily about God. It is all about God's glory. For self-centered Christians, life is primarily about themselves. They are concerned primarily about their lives, their needs, and their wants.
When it comes to prayer, God-centered Christians primarily pray for God's glory to be seen and manifested through their lives. They desire to see God's give grace to advanced in their lives. Even when they pray for themselves, it is usually so that they can have a greater impact in the lives of others. Self-centered Christians pray for the things that they desire, the things that will, enhance their lives to make life comfortable, easy, safe, and secure.
God-centered Christians worship God primarily for who He is. Worship for them is all about God. They are compelled by seeing God's beauty, worth, and glory. Self-centered Christians worship God for His gifts and what He has done for them. They focus upon their own personal glory. They desire to be entertained in worship.
For God centered Christians, Jesus Christ is absolute Lord and master. He is their treasure. Because of that, their one focus is on pleasing and honoring him. Therefore, He has complete Lordship anytime, anyplace, and anywhere. they have an obedience ethic to their lives. Self-centered Christians love to serve God when it is fun, easy, convenient, and most of all, fulfills their own self-interest. Their ethic is a feel good ethic.
God centered Christians focus on all of God's attributes such as His love, mercy, grace, hatred of sin, holiness, justice, and wrath. Self-centered Christians don't want acknowledge and focus on the attributes of God that would make life uncomfortable. they obey only when they want to. they want a savior but not a Lord who interferes with their lives.
God centered Christians want to be vessels of blessings for His glory and to be poured out for others good. Self centered Christians want to gather God's blessings and keep them for themselves.
God-centered Christians believe that Christ loves us in order to free us to make much of him. Self-centered Christians believe that Christ loves us to make much of us.
God-centered Christians believe that suffering is a primary way that God manifests His glory in the life of a believer. When trials, temptations, and difficulties come their way, they ask God to sustain them, strengthen them, and show them how they can bring honor to Him in and through their suffering. Self-centered Christians believe that God is centered upon their health, wealth, prosperity, happiness, ease, and comfort. When trials come their way, they are always asking God why it is happening and focusing on God delivering them from it.
God-centered Christians believe that the chief end of man is to know God and glorify Him forever. Self-centered Christians believe that the chief end of man is to be happy, comfortable, safe, and secure.
Which are you a God-centered Christian or a self-centered Christian?
Striving to be a God-centered Christian,
Pastor Bill
3 comments:
That was a nice thought, which basically emphasises that being a Christian, isn't about self. It's 0%self and 100% God.
But Pastor do you think are self centered Christian better than non-believers or do both sail in the same boat??
Hey buddy,
With all due respect, I don't really like the dichotomy that you proposed in your question. The question you proposed is "Who is better: Self centered Christians or self centered non-Christians? First, no one is better if they are self centered. Secondly, the only thing that makes one better is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. So in that sense, you could say that is what would make one better. But thirdly, it is to be expected for a non-Christian to be self centered, but for a believer to be self centered actually makes one worse because it causes them to live for their own self exaltation instead of what they were chosen and redeemed for, which is the supremacy of Christ. Both are putting their treasure in self rather than in Christ. Both will invariably manifest in their lives the fruit of what they treasure, which is self instead of God. The good news is that when God's regenerated people are treasuring self instead of Him, He speaks His word, convicts by His spirit, He chastens and corrects, and causes us to see that we are building for ourselves cisterns that hold no water (Jeremiah 2;13)
Thanks Pastor.
" But thirdly, it is to be expected for a non-Christian to be self centered, but for a believer to be self centered actually makes one worse because it causes them to live for their own"
This is what I wanted to ask. But couldn't get it across. Thanks again!!
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