God has a marvelous plan for your life in Christ. 

The thing that David Nasser points out in this day of A Call to Die is that God’s “curriculum in the school of faith is much different from what most of us want.”

What comes to mind when I tell you God has a marvelous plan?

A future job promotion that places you right where you want to be in your career?

To be set up in the perfect house in the perfect location for the rest of your life?

To be dearly loved (and maybe even envied) by every individual who passes by you?

Do you see a smooth life without worry or tragedy or conflict?

I’m sorry, but though God can give you a lot of these things, this is not the overarching plan that He has for you.

Nasser puts it this way, 

“His purpose is for us to enjoy Him as He builds our faith. Not to bring success, but to build our faith. Not to make us happy, but to build our faith. Not to provide wonderful friends, but to build our faith. Not to make us comfortable, but to build our faith.”

Does this sound harsh? I understand it definitely does not sound fun.

I remember a time at OBU I was in a New Testament class being taught by a great professor, Dr. Pace. At one point in the class, he said, “God does everything for His glory.” 

I had to sit on that for a while and recall thinking during the class, “is that not selfish?”

I am very sorry for thinking this about God, but I understand if any of you today are thinking the same thing.

Christ died for the glory of God. He saved the Jews in Egypt and instructed them in the wilderness and withheld His wrath for the sake of His glory. 

Does this make you uncomfortable? This is a crucial point for you to examine.

Don’t get me wrong, Jesus died and gives us grace out of love for us, He withheld wrath for this reason too. However, His primary reason for everything that He did in His earthly ministry was for God’s glory.

All of Creation was made for Him,

“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians 1:16)

It’s tempting to feel indignant when hearing this. Is it self-absorbed for God to be so concerned with His own glory?

It is ironic how we (including myself) are ready to critique God for being concerned with the proclamation of His name, but we don’t give a second thought to cheering on our favorite artist who probably didn’t even write his own lyrics or an athlete who could probably care less about whether or not he meets you.

God is greater than all things, what other purpose could He be consumed with? But I would also wager that His proclamation of His glory is not as self-seeking as others would think.

Here is the reason that is so good for God to seek out the glory He deserves and require it to be proclaimed to the nations – if we worship anything else, if we cherish anything else in excess (even good things like health and fitness) it will destroy us and lead to self-absorption and other harmful traits. Not to mention we will ignore God and His offer of eternal life.

Jesus, who is God, is the only way to have eternal life. This is a place where our joy will be made complete as we see God in all of His glory, no more tears with Him with us, no more pain living in His direct presence, no war, no sickness, no tragedy, no loneliness, no more striving, no more burden of existence (you understand what I mean?), a complete peace all around us will be established.

Can our significant other give us that? Can self-love give us that? All the knowledge in secular books? Instagram? Can health and fitness secure this for us?

God is the only thing or being that we cannot love too much. He is what we need. Seeing His glory, being near to it, and trusting Him is the only way we can truly be fulfilled – now and after this life.

Becoming obsessed with the purpose of giving God glory leads us to better mindsets, better mental health, better actions, a better all-sufficient purpose, and a better future!

I want to end this with a reflection from John Piper in his book Providence. I think he says it better with a lengthy quote than I can at the moment.

But first, I want to keep you thinking about this point that the purpose of God’s curriculum is to build our faith – “to prepare us for a career in knowing and serving Him.”

Are you okay with hard times being allowed into your life for the purpose of refining your character to be more like Christ?

Are you fine with tragedy being allowed into your life so that God can bring other people to know Him too?

Can God take away the things you cherish most so that you can come to a place where you cherish Him over everything?

Don’t worry, God has a wise and loving plan, that He will see to completion,

“God’s curriculum for you and me includes:

• Enough joy to encourage us. 
• Enough love to stregthen us.
• Enough success to build our confidence.
• Enough suffering to force us to depend on Him.
• Enough confusion to make us seek His face.” (Nasser, Day 16)

And remember, He is inviting us to endure this and live this WITH Him, alongside Him, never alone.

God loves you, but He loves you too much to give you what you want, instead, He gives you what you need.

Here is some extra reading, the John Piper quote I mentioned earlier:

“But what if God’s continual acting for his own glory proved to be less like an insecure, self-enhancing, needy bully and more like the star professional basketball player who drives his Porsche into the neighborhood because he genuinely loves inner-city kids and wants to give them the unimaginable pleasure of playing with their hero?

What if God’s calling attention to his glory turned out to be less like a quack doctor who hangs out a sign that he’s the best and more like a real doctor hanging out a sign because he is, in fact, the best, and he alone can do the procedure that will save the community from the spreading disease?

What if God’s making known his superiority is less like an anxious college art teacher touting the greatness of his classes to shore up his reputation by attracting more students and more like the best artist in the world going to the poorest college and announcing that he is going to give an absolutely free course so that he can show the lowliest student the secrets of his superior skill?

What if God’s public promotion of his power is less like a narcissistic, fame-hungry, military general who seeks victory by sacrificing thousands of soldiers from his safe position behind the lines and more like the truly greatest general who wins both victory and fame by willingly dying at the front line for the troops he loves?

In other words, what if, in the end, we discovered that the beauty of God turns out to be the kind that comes to climax in being shared?

And what if the attitude we thought was mere self-promotion was instead the pursuit of sharing the greatest pleasure possible for all who would have it?

What if things turn out something like Jonathan Edwards believed they would?

“Doubtless the happiness of the saints in heaven shall be so great, that the very majesty of God shall be exceedingly shown in the greatness, and magnificence, and fullness of their enjoyments and delights.”” (John Piper in Providence)