It’s Not About You

“I like talking about you, you, you, you, usually. But occasionally, I wanna talk about me!” - Toby Keith

How much of our devotion to God is determined by our devotion to self?  Singer/songwriter Laura Story gives a litany of probing questions and sub-questions to determine which comes first - us or our Savior (not the chicken/egg thing - I know what you were thinking)?

You can read her full article on the Crossway website by clicking --> here <-- 

The main diagnostic questions are:

1. Are my prayers, primarily, about me?

2. Do I evaluate my worship of God based on my feelings or on the exalting of God’s glory?

3. Is my Bible reading selective and self-serving?

4. Is my participation in church community conditional?

5. Do I measure my faith by external blessings?

6.Do I serve God for recognition or personal gain?

7. Is my life lacking gratitude and contentment?

Being a big deal is a burden. Humility, in contrast, means you don’t interpret everything in relation to yourself, and you don’t need to. It is the death of the narrow, suffocating filter of self-referentiality. It is the nourishing, calming acceptance that you have a small place in a much larger story: that your life is being: guided by something far bigger than your plans or controls, and serving something far bigger than your “sole benefit.”  - Gavin Ortlund, Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness (Crossway, 2023)