The Ways of the World versus God's View of You

by Steph Sanders on Sunday, August 22, 2010 at 8:28pm

I have been really challenged by God over the last few weeks and months about a few things.Two of these I would like
to share with you today. The first doesn't relate to my overall topic that much at all, but I feel it is something that God
is challenging us with at the moment. Is your relationship with God your occupation or is it what you are? So are you in
control of the relationship or is God in control. It is so easy for us to get caught up in the whole "divine" kind of glowing
idea of "oh I'm a Christian, woohoo look at me", that your relationship with God can very easily become a routine. And
basically, it shouldn't be. Your relationship with God, your Christian walk, should be who you are not what you are.

The second thing God has really challenged me with these past few months, is finding that place where I am happy and
content with who I am, and where I am at this point intime. This is where it ties in. I had a dream at the beginning of
first term. It was from this dream that God kind of challenged me. This is my dream.

DREAM: It was a mud brick maze with darkness forever above it, and I was running in this maze and I came to a
point where it came to a dead end. It was this four walled room with a single door, completely empty except for the
walls, ground and me. I turned around to get out and then there was no exit, it had become this completely enclosed
room. As I turned back around from turning around I noticed to the right there was another tiny room built into the
wall. I went inside this room and it was the size of an elevator inside and it had a mud brick roof as well. There was a
wooden slatted bench running around the wall and a single oil lamp hanging on the wall. Suddenly there were a few
people in there with me. The people I remember clearly with me were my mum and my sister (and some other random
people). And then the information kind of just was in my head and I understood.

This room was the room where you went if you were saved, had excepted Jesus Christ and you were allowed to go to
heaven. The room outside was the place where people had not yet accepted Christ or they didn't want to know or they
were on the edge in-between.  As I looked back out of the mud brick doorframe, to the original room I had entered,
there were desks running lengthways across the room. On the desks there were computers, phones, iPods, and all the
technology we have today. The room was also full of people. Each seat was filled with someone doing something with
one or more of the electronic devices. I started to go out of the small room and someone grabbed me and said
something like "if you go out there you might miss the journey to heaven".  In my dream the best way to explain it is
itwas like a bus I guess and if you missed the bus you'd be left behind. But anyway, I left the room because all the
people out there were my friends and there was also some of my family there too. But apart from all my friends there
were all these shadows, which were people I hadn't met. I started frantically running around to them all telling them
things like "Heaven is so wonderful, you'll feel loved and safe and accepted there... Jesus loves you... He is so
amazing... It is eternity..." etcetera; and that kind of thing. What really got me was when I went up to my really close
friends that were there and the people I loved and I tried to convince them of what they were missing out on, but they
just turned away and kept listening to their iPod's and kept playing on their computer's or whatever. And as my dream
finished I just remember running around frantically to all these people trying to convince them, pleading with them,
and doing whatever I could to make them come. When I woke up I felt very empty, weak and sad.

After I woke, I never forgot that dream. I think I saw myself in those people to an extent, so caught up in our material
selves. And this was where my message from God kind of begins.

Our world is so technologically consumed and influenced; by constant influence from the media, constant face booking,
and texting. This isn't necessarily a bad thing... it is the way the larger percent of today's population communicate. The
image that the media forces upon us and the image and behavior that the media portrays is very negative and
destructive. The constant streams of false and idealistic images are constantly in our faces telling us of a new product
to "improve or alter how we look". Our world is constantly telling how to improve ourselves, as if they are telling us that
who we are – our beautiful, unique individual selves – aren't good enough. I just want to tell you now that they are
wrong. God made you who you are for avery special and unique purpose. The world is encouraging us to make
ourselvesinto to someone or something else. God doesn't want us to make ourselves into anything except the person
he has planned for us to be. The magazines of our world today, the content and information in them are not God driven
in the least. I'm not saying don't read magazines... just don't take what is in them on in your life, because it isn't how
God sees you.
 

God see's you he says "it is good" and that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". Those two things are so
small and simple but so powerful. "Good" from the creator of heaven is powerful and encouraging. The word good is
defined as: capable of pleasing, effective and most suitable or right for a particular purpose. If we are "good" in the
eyes of God, then we're capable of pleasing, we are effective and we are most suitable & right for a particular
purpose. We are all unique and we need to realize our value and how special we are, because to God we have
strengths and weakness', not success' and failures. We have areas where we can aim to improve and achieve higher,
but in no way do any of us fail in any area.

Imagine that your mobile phone was your bible. Imagine that that was the only source of input into your life; so there
was no media, no internet, no television, just the beautiful, raw word of God. You know how people constantly check
their phones for new messages? Some people do that because they need to feel loved and accepted, and when they
receive a message this is the feeling they get. But that feeling tends to be shallow and short lived, and that person
suddenly waits for the next message. Imagine if instead of looking for a new text message or new facebook message
or whatever, you looked in the bible and read what God had to say.

God doesn't pull down, he picks up. He is a never ending source of encouragement, love, wisdom and truth. He loves
us; you, every single one of you, so so so so much. It says in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." God loves
us as we are. Every little scratch, blemish (I don't mean skin blemish, I mean like something in your life or your past)
and thing that we call an imperfection, God overlooks because he looks at the heart.  In Samuel 16:7 it says "The
LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD
looks at the heart."

You know the whole "cool" concept (aka the cool kid)? This stereotype to me is very weak and shallow. One thing I
don't understand is what makes someone "cool"? What traits make that person "cool"? If it is based on knowledge,
appearance or abilities, this world would be standing at a very different point of view to God's view of "cool". I went to
a youth conferencein the holidays, it was run by the youth group I'm part of here at Nexus. The conference was called
OneThing and it was amazing! The pastors that spoke there bought some very challenging and interesting messages.
But one sentence from Pastor Adam Ramsey out of the whole conference stood out to me, and got me thinking. He
said this, "... 'cool' is being who God wants you to be, not who the world wants you to be". This really put
our material world into perspective for me because we chase after all these things that will achieve us prestige in our
earthly "kingdoms" but in the kingdom of heaven they have no worth or value, let alone the approval of the Heavenly
Father! If we aim to attain earthly, material pleasures so we can be seen as cool – based upon our possessions and
appearance – we can't even imagine how disappointed our father is. While we sit here basking in our self proclaimed
glory, we miss out on the glory and inheritance of the kingdom. For me that would be the most devastating thing to
experience. I think that through this short yet complex sentence, God is encouraging us to shed the things that this
earth will try to clothe and burden us with, and instead aim straight and true for the plan that he has individually placed
upon each one of our lives. True, the road to your destiny will not always be easy smooth sailing, but every hardship
will be preparing you for your final destination. And how amazing and perfect that destination will be!

If we try to please everyone, we end up pleasing no one. We can never please the world. Every time we do something,
someone, somewhere won't like it. Every time we change to please someone, somebody is disappointed in the change.
If you try to suffice man's desires, wants and needs, we will be disappointed. But if you try to fulfil God's desires and
follow the path he has set individually for you to the BEST OF YOUR ABILITY, then you will be rewarded.  As it says in
Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing
and perfect will."  If you follow God's plan for you, you will be fulfilled in Christ. Everyone's life is mapped out in a
beautiful, elaborate story line, completely unique to your life and purpose.

Just to finish of I want to leave two things with you: the Bible is an endless source of encouragement, wisdom and
love. I know this is a bit soppy but I think of it as a beautiful letter of love, encouragement, teaching, advice and
friendship from our King and Heavenly Father to his sons and daughters. It is also an endless source of beauty of the
spiritual kind, and relationship advice. So don't turn to our world for advice on decisions that will make an impact on
your life, turn to your heavenly father who loves you. Jesus loves every one of you for who you are. He loves you so
much and he always will.

Matthew 19:14

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven
belongs to such as these."