I have a cat. I really love her and take good care of her. I’ve had her ever since she was a kitten. Her name is Camille and she believes that the whole world, including myself, exists to please her. When she wakes from a nap and I’m around she will meow to attract my attention and then go to her food bowl where she has also come into the habit of being brushed. If I walk in the front door she demands attention. She will even scratch at my bed in the middle of the night because she wants to be brushed. Needless to say she loves being brushed. I don’t always pay attention to her but she never tires of believing that I have been created to pander to her needs. She lies around sleeping all day and then decided when and how she wants attention.
We do that with God too a lot of the time. It works something like this:
Me: Hey God, I want to ask you something. I really need you to fix the problem that I’m having at work with my boss, and while you’re about it can’t you please tell him that I need a raise because I can’t live comfortably on the salary I get.
God: That’s interesting. What does my Word say about relationships with your employer?
Me: Uuuuum…I don’t know.
God: Okay, so what does my Word say about your finances?
Me: Well, I think there’s something I heard once about giving to the church.
God: Good. So do you?
Me: I’m still looking for a church that suits me. You know the last one I was in was just full of hypocrites and the children always made a noise during the services.
God: Oh I see, hypocrites you say. Interesting. So when last did you read my Word.
Me: You see, it’s really hard to make time because of this terrible job I have. And the Bible is a bit boring sometimes if you don’t mind me saying so. I really struggle to get into it.
God: You have time to watch TV though.
Me: Yes, but that’s important. I need to be up to date with the news and with a lot of other things so that I can talk to my friends. We need to have things in common you know.
God: I seem to recall there’s something in my Word about going out into the world and telling the world about my Son.
We are just like Camille. We sit around wasting time and when we have a crisis we call on God. We think that God is there solely to look out for our interests. We do everything that the world does but when we need help we expect God to jump up and serve us and help us out of the trouble we put ourselves in. I’m not saying that God isn’t going to help us but I do think the least we can do is bring our side too. We aren’t the centre of the universe and God doesn’t exist to please us.
1 John 2:15 – 17, Don’t set the affections of your heart on this world or in loving the things of the world. The love of the Father and the love of the world are incompatible. For all that the world can offer us—the gratification of our flesh, the allurement of the things of the world, and the obsession with status and importance—none of these things come from the Father but from the world. This world and its desires are in the process of passing away, but those who love to do the will of God live forever.
We are here because God chose to create us. We did not make ourselves, we do not have any power in ourselves that means anything. We need God, God doesn’t need us. We mustn’t be like a cat who is just in her own comfort zone and believes that the rest of the world is there to serve her. God loves us so much that He gave His only Son to die for us so that we won’t go to hell. We are less than nothing without God. We have to look ask ourselves and ask God what it is we can do to bring honour to His name. Then we are starting to get on the right road.
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