There is something more important than making the biggest possible impact for the kingdom of God in this short life.
It is to enjoy being a son of God. And I mean really enjoy it.
Let me try to explain.
The greatest joy is in Being, not Doing. Being will lead to Doing, but they aren’t on equal ground. One is higher. I suspect God’s name, “I AM” gets at this.
It is more blessed to give than to receive, and the One who is most blessed is Jesus, Romans 9:5. He is the one who gives most (everything actually) so he is the most happy.
Besides, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7b. We cannot give him anything.
Everything comes from him. “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36. So anything we would give to him, or rather return to him, is in that category of things that came from him.
Consider this quote from John Piper.
“That means the giver gets the glory. God gave the power. God gets the glory. We have faith; he gives power. We get the help; he gets the glory. That’s the deal that keeps us humble and happy, and keeps him supreme and glorious.”
What does it mean to enjoy being a son of God (or daughter, for the girls)?
I feel very immature in my understanding of this. Here’s my best guess so far.
It means reveling in his love for you personally. I am not sure I can explain how to get from the place where you don’t enjoy being his beloved son to the place where you do.
Possibly my favorite bible verse is John 17:23. “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
Jesus said to his daddy, “You love them the same way you love me.” A fitting verse to follow that one is, “and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” Matthew 3:17. That means Father would also say right out in the open, “This is my beloved son, Jackson, with whom I am well pleased.” Or, “This is my beloved son, Joseph, with whom I am well pleased.” Same as he did with Jesus.
He will be saying that forever.
Soaking in that, in the everlasting, never ending, reckless love of God for you personally, that is the most important thing in life that I have come across so far.
If I am loved like Jesus is, I will act like Jesus. Or, Being will lead to Doing. For example, Jesus went to great lengths to tell people about this love of the Father. It was more important to him than life. That’s because it’s even better than life. “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” Psalm 63:3
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