View of life is shaped by our view of God
Martha Olawale
“Thus says the Lord: 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” Isaiah 66:1-3
How we see God matters because our view of life is shaped by our view of God. Understanding that He is mightier and greater, and that He rules with loving kindness and mercy, puts our souls at rest in Him. When we live for what God made us for, we don’t have to pretend to figure it all out to enjoy all that God has to offer. We are His masterpiece, created for good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
There's more to the dish of life, and settling for a bite when God wants to give you an endless bowl to eat from will leave you wanting more, no matter how high you reach. Your impact, how you expend yourself, and what you use your life for stem from your focus, which, in turn, inadvertently determines how you aim. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, “So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.” When you look to Jesus, you see things His way, but when you don’t, you are like a person boxing the air. A world-focused perspective might earn you worldly gains, but a God-focused perspective changes not only your life but also the lives of the people God brings your way.
God said in Isaiah 66:2 that He made all things by His hands, including you. To maximize God’s potential in you, you must rise above the limits of self-centered living and worldly pursuits to embrace the multiplier effect of living for Kingdom purpose. Don’t limit your sphere of impact by a self-focused perspective; God can make your life count for so much more.
Your past plays a crucial role in your story, but the goal should not be to redeem or redefine it, because only God can use the details to weave the perfect ending. Our lives should be future-focused, making tomorrow better than yesterday by aligning our expectations and actions with God’s will and grace. God can do more than you can imagine or think (Ephesians 3:20). So turn your life over to Him, go where He leads, do what He wants you to do, and watch Him make a spectacle of your story.
