Camp Fasting - Day 9

Jesus As The Main Character

By: Shellvia

What’s the bottom of your joy? Do you feel more loved by God because He makes much of you, or because He enables you to make much of Him?

I pray that we get to understand the meaning of this question and always ask this to ourselves every morning before we start the day. All of our joys have a foundation.

Let’s get to the bottom of it through this example:

Q: What brings you joy?

A: Getting good grades.

Q: Why do you wanna have good grades?

A: To please my parents, or to get into a great university.

Q: Why do you want to get into a great university?

A: I want to learn psychology, and eventually become a psychologist.

Q: Why do you want to become a psychologist?

A: I want to help people.

Q: Why do you want to help people?

A: It makes me happy knowing that I can share perspective about Jesus and therefore can bring more people to His Kingdom.

Q: Why does that bring you joy?

A: My calling / That’s who I am.

Q: Does this calling makes much of you or much of God?

In John 3, John the Baptist’s followers were arguing over the issue of purification, and they felt like John’s popularity was decreasing: “And they came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him’” (John 3:26, ESV).

What are you gonna do about it? Essentially this was what everyone was implying.

John readily responded by exalting Jesus. He didn’t argue or rebuke his followers; he simply explained how it was his joy to be the best man, not the bridegroom. (John 3:29, ESV) Even though John was baptizing and doing great things for God’s Kingdom, it wasn’t about him. It was about Jesus.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” - (John 3:30, ESV)

John understood that we as humans, will always fall into the trap of making everything about ourselves, having us at the centre and God revolves around us. Therefore we need to always guard our heart every time, and ask ourselves, is God at the bottom of my joy?

God makes much of us by making much of Himself.

God makes much of us, if we believe in Him, trust Him, and He’s your treasure and at the bottom of your joy. But why in the Scripture evidently he’s showing His love to us in a way that He is glorified through this act of love?

Ans: A love that’s greater.

God’s love, a love that makes much of Himself and His glory, is a greater love for you than if he made you your greatest treasure. God’s love for you, a love that makes him your supreme treasure, is a greater love for you than if he made you your supreme treasure. - John Piper

We will never be good enough, strong enough, wise enough, beautiful enough to be the foundation of that love. We will tremble and fall into the pit as ‘self’ (us as an individual) is not able to bear that weight. And The One who can be the foundation of that tremendous amount of love is only Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:8)

It’s a glorious thing to be enabled by the atoning blood of Jesus and The Holy Spirit to be freed from self and make much of God as your supreme joy and life, and it’s a glorious thought to delight in being made much of by God.

Prayer:

I thank You Lord for the love that You have for me. Making much of me every single day, with Your glory, that You even let me take part in Your Kingdom with the story of my life that You’ve written. I pray that my desire in life is to know You more and to make much of You. Let that become my foundation and the centre of it all. You are at the bottom of our joy and the other desires are rising up out of that spring. Amen.

~

To exchange self at the bottom of your joy with God at the bottom of your joy.

Reference:

The Holy Bible

An All-Consuming Passion for Jesus by John Piper