What (or Who) Is Your Obsession? (Part 3)
III. Obsession Is Worship
In Part 2, we looked at five questions that could help us define our true obsession. Now we finish by considering how obsession is worship and how that defines your mission.
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen, a Puritan divine from the mid-1600s, really sums up my gifting and mission to help the body of Christ shuck off the chains of sin as an act of worship of our Lord. The root of the temptation to sin is the desire for self-gratification apart from God. It is saying to God, “You're not enough to satisfy me. I need to do/have this to be really happy.” Ouch. Can you hear the hammer strike the nails into our Savior’s hands and feet when we say that?
Sin is the fruit of temptation fulfilled. Worship is the fruit of temptation denied.
Every time we resist temptation, it is an act of worship in which we glorify God by declaring,
“I believe and trust you when you say you have already given me everything that pertains to life and godliness.” (2 Pet 1:3).
“You are truly everything to me and all I'll ever need.” (Ps 23:1)
What do you think the Church would look like, and how different our message would be, if we actually believed that and acted accordingly? This vision of the Church hallowing God's name is what drives me. This is my mission—to love, honor, and glorify God by encouraging and helping others to love, honor, and glorify God.
Glorifying God is simply reflecting his character and nature instead of our old sin-saturated, fallen nature, like the moon reflecting the light of the sun. If others can see who our enemies are by how we act, they aren't seeing God's love in us. God works in us (justifying and transforming us) so he can work through us to demonstrate how great it is to know and be known by him. It's more than being grateful for what he's done. It's being grateful for who he is. Just knowing God is the ultimate privilege and supreme reward. It's our greatest joy and the source of our richest praise. We worship God when we act or think like him. We sin when we act or think otherwise.
The Big Question
So. What is your obsession?
Be careful here. That question doesn’t look like it, but it’s a trap. It’s subtle. And it’s straight from the pit of Hell. Answer it, and you’re dead. Why? Because it’s fundamentally the wrong question, and it’s designed to deceive. Many answers to this question sound good, but every answer leads to death.
The correct question—the one that leads to life—is, “Who is your obsession?”. And there’s only one acceptable answer. God.
Your Life Mission
As I said, your obsession defines your purpose. What are you known for now? Is God proud of that? What do you think he wants you to be known for? (Hint: Your Holy Spirit-given spiritual gifts, abilities, and passions are a clue). Reread these three posts and seek God’s face in prayer. What does he want of you? What is your life mission? Write it down. Then live it, with the empowering of the Spirit. All to God’s supreme glory, the life-giving gospel of Jesus, and for your unspeakable joy.
