Make loving God a top priority
There are different types of perfectionists in this world.
There are those who don’t want to waste any time. Every moment they spend, they want to spend it doing something awesome and exciting and exhilarating. Their favorite phrase is, "That was time well spent."
Then there are those who don’t want to waste any money. Everything they buy must be bought at a bargain. Everything they sell must be sold at a nice profit. Everything they use must last forever. Their favorite phrase is, "That was money well spent."
If this world were all that there is, such a strategy would be very sensible. But this world is only temporal. There is another world – the kingdom of heaven – that will come and will last forever. So any strategy for living optimally must take the kingdom of heaven into consideration.
In the kingdom of heaven, things are a little different. On second thought, let me rephrase that – things are a lot different.
God is not trying to optimize time or money. To Him, allowing the universe to run for 13.7 billion years before getting man on the scene is perfectly sensible. To Him, ‘paying up’ for the billions of billions of billions of stars just so that earth would be habitable is not a thing to cry about.
What God is trying to optimize is your eternal reward in heaven. He wants you to have the best possible eternity ever.
To have the best possible eternity ever, you have to be as close to His Son in character as possible. This is because, in eternity, the only thing of great value is the character, or holiness, of God. Nothing else comes close.
God doesn’t really want to give such a valuable thing to anyone and everyone. There is only one type of person who qualifies – it is those who love God. Consider these verses…
Deut 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
1 Cor 2:9 but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM."
Jas 1:12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Js 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
God’s promises are for, and covenant is with, those who love Him.
To ensure that you have every opportunity to get that character God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him.
Rom 8:28-30 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
God foreknew who would love Him. He then decided to make them like His Son. That is, He decided that they should have His character. He called them, saved them, and then began ensuring that everything around them was optimized to build that character in them.
This is a fantastic thing!
If you love God, everything will work for your eternal good. Those who love God must hold on to this promise at all times…
Are your parents unreasonable? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are your friends disrespectful? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are you physically unattractive? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are mentally challenged? No problem, it will work for your good.
Do you have a physical handicap? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are your siblings terrible? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are your job opportunities dismal? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are your finances meager? No problem, it will work for your good.
Is your spouse unsympathetic to your needs? No problem, it will work for your good.
Are your coworkers despicable? No problem, it will work for your good.
Is your boss evil? No problem, it will work for your good.
Is your pastor greedy? No problem, it will work for your good.
God causes all things work for your good. All things!
Now let me remind you that this is only true for those who love God. So all you need to do is to love God. If you do love God you don’t have any reason to be down or depressed. If you feel down, and nothing is going right, and you encounter failure after failure and you have no hope, and you don’t see how things will ever get better, take heart because all these things will work for your eternal good, and that is the only place where things really count.
In my own life, when I was a teenager, I had a severe stuttering problem. I wanted to impress the opposite sex but I could not. Then, when I tried to find a job, no one would hire me. I had all kinds of questions in my mind … Who would marry me? Who would hire me? How would I support myself? What good would come out of my life?
There was only one thing going for me – it was that I had a great desire to love God and to please Him. I was not very pleasing to God, but I wanted to be. I didn’t know how, but I wanted to learn how. For God, that was enough.
Through all these things, just like Paul says in Rom 8:31-39, I was able to get through, and not end my own life, because I believed that God would cause them to work for my good.
When I look back now, I see that they did, and they do, and I am even more confident now that before that they will continue to work for my God.
God is not partial to anyone. What He did for me, He will do for you too – if you meet His conditions.
So then, love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. It is the path to optimal living, to perfection, not just in this world, but also in the world to come.
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