What does God want?
I wonder if you've ever thought about that. What is the ultimate purpose of everything in the universe? It is God's glory and God's satisfaction. Somebody said once, "A person who does not exist for God's glory has no right to exist at all." I believe that's true.
I want to state what I believe is God's first and ultimate objective, and it is, His own glory and satisfaction.
I want now to take some scriptures that bring out this ultimate objective of God. First of all, in Romans 11, verses 33 through 36, Paul says this:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? [In other words, we never can teach God. God doesn't need our advice. We need God's teaching. We need God's advice. We're dependent on Him. And then Paul sums it up in this very powerful statement:] For from him and through him and to him all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (NIV)
Notice, it all comes from God, it all proceeds through God, and it all is consummated in God - from Him, through Him, to Him, all things. And what's the ultimate objective? To Him be the glory forever.
One thing I need to say again is that our minds need to be enlarged: our thoughts need to be changed. We don't see things that way. And I think one great enemy of happiness and success and fruitfulness is self-centeredness and it's a problem most of us have by nature. Somebody, a friend of mine, said, "When man fell from God's grace, he shut himself up in his little ego box." And I think that's where many of us are, shut up in our own little ego box. Everything is referred to us as the center. But the truth is, we are not the center; God is the center.
Father, thank You for the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, made available to me in Your Son Jesus Christ. Please teach me to have Your objectives as my ultimate goal in life, and to make You the center, so Your Name may be glorified in and through me. Amen.
