Life is about reorienting ourselves to worship our God. He intends for us to be people of God’s praise, but we often fall into the trap of being people of petty petition. Of course, God wants us to bring our requests to Him, but we need to recognize that all of life is gift and grace and points back to Him instead of to us. He is the center, but we often forget that. The 7 Gs of God’s Kingdom can help us reorient ourselves to give us a proper perspective.
God’s greatness refers to His transcendence. He is not merely a part of the created order; He is the Creator. Matter, space, and time are His works. He created them, and thus He transcends them. God is omniscient and omnipresent. Because of His greatness, we can surrender ourselves to Him.
God’s goodness relates to us; He loves His beloved bride. Although God does not need us, He still chooses to love us, pursuing us and wooing us.
God’s grace emerges from His greatness and goodness. It describes His favor toward us, both in creating us and saving us.
God’s true character is the basis for worship, and so it is critical for us to begin with Him. When we do so and seek Him in Scripture, our prayers of adoration and thanksgiving will deepen our faith. As the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, everything begins and ends with Him, and that includes our faith, worship, and prayer.
Gratitude is the turning point, the moment when we come to faith in Christ and recognize His work on the cross. His grace enables us to thank Him for redeeming us from our sins. Out of this we can train ourselves to be people of gratitude. Unless we purposefully practice gratitude and let God’s grace amaze us every day, our gratitude will erode. For this reason, it is intimately connected with growing and going.
These words reflect our mission now on this earth. First, we are meant to grow in our faith once we have been saved. This refers to our sanctification, a continual process on this earth. The Holy Spirit enables us to do this. We are new beings, positionally sanctified, but we are also becoming new every day as God progressively sanctifies us. Only when Christ comes again will we experience perfect sanctification.
Like growing, going has to do with our earthbound journey. It stems from the Great Commission: God has called us to go out and proclaim His gospel and make disciples.
Glory is the end, the telos, the goal. The real purpose of our gratitude, growing, and going finds completion in the glory of God. God’s greatness, goodness, and grace demonstrate His glory. The present pains we experience are nothing compared to the glory of God. We will be in His presence praising Him for all of eternity. In light of this ultimate end, our longing ought to grow for this fullness of time and transform the way that we live on this earth.
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This teaching comes from Ken Boa’s Spiritual Renewal Card Set, a tool for enhancing your spiritual life and devotional times.
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