I was actually there. Sure, I had seen the pictures before. But now I was there. Standing beneath the Eiffel Tower. Strolling along the Seine. Sitting on the steps at the top of Montmartre, listening to the musicians, with Sacre Coeur as the backdrop. Eating a warm, fresh baguette from one of the local bakeries. People-watching in the courtyard outside Notre Dame.
Paris. I was there.
I could have settled for imagining Paris. But it wouldn’t be the same. Not even close.
Take a look at some of these verses:
• Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images… (Romans 1:22-23a NIV)
• By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.. (II Peter 1:3, NLT)
• These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:17, NIV)
• A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. (John 10:10, The Message)
The journey from judgment to improvement happens when we begin to ask some evaluative questions of ourselves, instead of always evaluating others. Today’s question:
What am I exchanging God’s glory for?
Settling is easy. Amazing takes effort. Settling is comfortable. Amazing stretches us. Settling is what we’re used to. Amazing us calls us to something new. And here’s the clincher: Settling will never satisfy. Amazing will always deliver more than we could ask or imagine.
Do you realize that the invitation to “more and better life than you ever dreamed of” is being extended by the Author of Life? The One who invented life and designed you to live it fully is the same One who wants to guide you through it.
"The glory of God is man fully alive." St. Irenaeus
So…are you fully alive?
Questions: What are you settling for? What are you exchanging God’s glory for?
