The Cure for Humanism Part 2 of 3

Why are we saved?

Sometimes I wonder why so many people call themselves Christians.  Why have they accepted Christ?  Why are they Christians?  Why do they follow God?  Are they “using” God because they don’t want to go to hell? Does being a Christian make them feel better about themselves? Or, are they actually committed to Him, His plans, His desires and His way? 

We can do a lot of good things with a humanistic motive.  In fact, we can even follow God and listen in prayer for selfish reasons.  Yes, you can listen in prayer for selfish things and God will probably show you stuff because He is Good and He likes that you are taking things to Him in prayer but WE MUST GO DEEPER THAN THIS!

 

The Cure for Humanism is God-Centered Living

Matt. 10:38-39 ³⁸And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

The Bible teaches that there is a cost in following God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said “when Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”  Our walk with God is not about US, it’s about HIM!  Yet many Christians are trapped in self-centered living (humanism) instead of God-centered living.  Here is a brief comparison:

Self-Centered Living	God-Centered Living
See things from your own perspective	See things from God’s perspective
Focus on your own needs/desires	Focus on God’s will/purposes
Self-reliance	Confidence in God
Independence	Dependence on God
Obsess about self	Deny self
Ask God to bless your plans	Ask God what He wants of you
Proud , live selfishly	Humble, live holy
Boast of self	Boast of God

 A good test which tells you a lot about where you are at in the journey of moving from self-centered living to God-centered living is to look at your prayer life.  Do you pray?  What do you pray about?  Are your prayers God-centered?  

 

Next Blog Post: Surrender...your Humanistic Ways