Giving Up Good For God

“I want to be a good person…I want to go to a good school…I want to get a good job…I want to marry a good guy/girl…I want to have a good marriage…I want to raise good kids…I want to do good works…I just want to live a good life.”

We’ve all heard and likely also said some of these things ourselves. And while these goals aren’t inherently bad (on the contrary, they are all about “good”), they do lack depth. These aspirations fall short of the abundant life God desires for His people. Why would you settle for good when you have God?

God, who is complete, perfect, absolutely pure; God, who moved heaven and earth to secure your eternal victory; God, who is best and knows best and brings His best longs for so much more than “good” for and from His children! What would it look like if you gave up good for God?

Those statements would change from good to godly: “I want to be a godly person- more of Him, less of me…I want to go to a school that will help me develop my God-given gifts…I want to get a job that enables me to utilize those gifts and impassions my heart (even if the salary is small)…I want to marry a godly man/woman- one who loves Jesus first and most… I want to have a godly marriage- one that is a picture of the Gospel, emulating Christ and the Church…I want to raise godly kids- not just kids who obey the rules, but kids whose hearts seek God’s grace and truth…I want to do God’s work, that which He planned in advance for me to do…I want to live a godly life- one that is rooted in Christ and points others to Him.”                                

 Good will be a natural by-product of living a godly life, but it shouldn’t be the end goal. Good is good…but it’s not best. God is best and “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Cor. 2:9).”

So go ahead, give up good for God… and experience His ultimate best!