All Things Lovely

SEEK GREAT THINGS

Jeremiah 45:5—"And seek thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the Lord: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest."

This week, the Lord has been continually pressing one issue on my heart. 

Monday during chapel, the student body vice president preached on serving the Lord for the Lord's sake, not for show.

Tuesday, the preacher used this verse and said that it was wrong to seek great things for God when your ultimate goal is to glorify yourself. 

Wednesday I was reading the newest post on the blog Bold and Unashamed. The caption on this post said something about being ready to meet God, so I assumed it was about salvation. Oh no. The author said he had a dream in which he died and met God. All of his works were put into a fire, and only a thin crown came out. Most of his works burned, even those he claimed to do in the name of the Lord that he actually did for himself.

Today in chapel he preached on the Lord being pleased with you.

All of these were excellent messages that tied together well, but the most powerful for me was Tuesday, when he used the story of Baruch. Baruch did what he was supposed to, but he was ostracized and lived a miserable life.

I dream big. All of my life I've dreamed of doing great things for God, but lately God has been asking me if I would follow Him no matter what. What if He asks me to be a no-name teacher in a little town in the middle of nowhere? Will I still follow Him? What if I never recognize my dreams of changing the world? Will God still be worth following?

Tuesday's message presented the question, "Is it wrong for me to seek great things for God?" By the end of the message, I had to reply yes. All of my dreams eventually lead to my being glorified, not the Lord Himself being glorified. Therefore, it is wrong for me to seek great things. What if I'm not meant to be a well-known name that travels all over the country, all over the world?

I've fought this battle before, and I'll probably face this battle again, but it has never been hit quite like this before. At this point, I am ready to say, "Lord, send me anywhere ... lay any burden on me,"* but I know that in order to keep this goal I will have to, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:31 "I die daily." 

Lord, grant me the strength to go through what You have for me in the days ahead; give me the grace to always keep a smile on my face, and the fire in my heart to know I have chosen the right path. Amen.