You Won't Hear This on Dr. Phil!

I have been studying Romans 9 the past few weeks. This week I have been listening and reading John Piper's sermons on Romans 9. I read this in one of his sermons this morning,

“Probably the deepest corruption that we have all inherited from the Fall – and it is especially and blatantly prevalent in the last 50 years – is that we believe and feel that happiness and health come from being praised, rather than from praising God. We think that psychological health comes from being made much of, rather than from being freed from that need to enjoy making much of God forever. That is why we were made, and that is where the greatest and deepest and longest joys are found – not in being made much of, but in forgetting ourselves in the joy of making much of God’s glory,…” (Read the entire sermon here.)

Of course, the world teaches the opposite - that happiness is making much of me. Now, don't get me wrong. Of course I like to be made much of - who doesn't? But that is not where true joy is. Isn't that why so many people are still searching for joy? Because they aren't finding it in relationships, money or success. As Christians, we can't rely on the "so-called wisdom" of the world. We have to go straight to the Scriptures for guidance and direction. Today I was challenged to forget about myself and to make much of God!