John 7:18

"The one who speaks for himself seeks his own glory. But He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."

Jesus was speaking of Himself in this verse, but I think the mindset is one of the many things a Christ follower is called to emulate about His life. The validity in Jesus' teachings was most evident in the fact that He was seeking glory for God, not for Himself. A multitude of other religious leaders throughout the years have sought primarily to make much of themselves. Christ was clarifying that a person's motive is a clear indication of their truth.

I struggle to do anything for God and not for my own glory. It is an almost constant battle to make much of God and little of myself in my preaching, sense of humor, intelligence, and every other aspect of who I am. It's like I'm constantly seeking the pleasure of positive attention. Not only does this negate many of my efforts to make much of God, it makes me sin even more when something happens to take away from my glory. I point fingers, downplay offenses, and fail to own up to mistakes. Almost any humility I put on display is false or obligatory. I don't take pleasure in making little of me and much of God, and this is the opposite of what Christ did.

It's hard to call myself a Christ follower when something so innate about His character and ministry can barely be found in me. If it weren't for grace, I definitely wouldn't deserve to be counted among His children, or to be part of His work in the world. Fortunately, perfect motives are not necessary for God to work, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't strive for them.

Exodus 23:29

"I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you."

The Israelites had just been given a new land; unfortunately, that land had current tenants. Their immediate thought was probably that God should clear the riffraff out so they could move in, but He made it very clear it would not happen on a timeline they would have created. If He simply came in and cleaned shop, the Israelites would not have been large enough to take over the land before the animals moved in, creating another issue for them to overcome.

I would say that I'm guilty of getting frustrated with God's timing. We talk a lot about how perfect it is, but it's often incredibly inconvenient to wait on His time frame. Obviously, with a big picture vision I would be fine waiting, but with my limited scope, it's really frustrating. 

This story of the Israelites reminds me that waiting on the Lord is more than just a spiritual saying, but a prudent choice for the future. I used to work for a guy that was crazy intentional about everything he did. His choices often seemed random, but as I came to know him better, and as he let me into the decision making more, I realized that his purpose was always clear. Things that made no sense whatsoever to me ended up being incredibly logical and prudent once he showed me the thought process. After a while, I started trusting more and doubting less. Simply asking for his thought process behind his choices made all the difference. I came to trust an imperfect man with decisions that often didn't make sense on the surface, so you figure it'd be easy to trust my perfect God with how He lays things out. He won't always reveal to me the reasoning, but I suspect that in eternity I'll see how incredibly prudent and logical this seemingly random God has actually been throughout my life. 

Job 36:15

"God rescues the afflicted by their affliction; He instructs them by their torment."

This is probably the most mature way any person can view a trial, struggle, or consequence. To realize that difficult times are given to us in order to shape our maturity and decision making is beyond some people, regardless of age. This is also something that's easy to believe when you're not in the midst of a trial. 

Right now life is good for me. I don't know if it's because I'm currently making good decisions, or if God is just heaping blessings on me, but life is simple. I did obediently follow God's leading to move across the country for a ministry position, so maybe my life would be terrible if I had been disobedient. All I can do is speculate, but the bottom line is that it's easy to view trials as loving discipline when I'm in the midst of an easy season.

I'm not so certain that I will have such a mature and humble mindset the next time God uses affliction to discipline me and to save me from further issues, but I hope so. I think this would be the mark of a truly mature disciple of Christ, and I hope that when the trials come, I'll have the maturity necessary to accept the discipline, and see God mercifully saving me from further issues by using perceived torment to set me straight. 

2 Corinthians 5:9

"Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him."

Previous to this verse, Paul articulates that our eternal dwelling is our home, and in our current state, we are away from home. Our true place is resurrected with Christ, but whether we are earth bound or living in eternity, our goal is identical; we must be seeking to please God.

When I teach teenagers about God, I find myself struggling sometimes to articulate why we should resist sin when our eternity is secure. What's the payoff for fighting sexual urges, desires for popularity, and all other momentary pleasures when we know that these things will have no bearing on our eternity? Of course, I understand that just because I can sin doesn't mean I should, but even I struggle sometimes with wondering what is the point of fighting so hard against sin?

This verse, among several others, points out the primary reason for struggling to pursue godly actions- it pleases God. God is pleased when we refrain from sin. I would assume this would be similar to a married couple with vows. Let's imagine that a married couple's vows are more than just conditional promises, but honest to God, till death do we part, binding agreements. If vows truly were unconditional, each person would be free to do as they like, not taking into consideration how their choices may impact the other person. I truly believe my vows with my wife are unconditional. However, I don't take pleasure in hurting my wife. Seeing her reaction when I have done something to harm her is reason enough to avoid the same action in the future. I'm assuming because we can't see God's displeasure, it's easier to slack off in the fight against sin. However, scripture and prayer reveal that God is pleased when we seek to eliminate sin. 

My motivation for fighting sin is not for my salvation, but for my God. The joy He feels when I actively flee from sin and run to Him is real, although I don't get to see it. Whether I'm at home, or away, I must seek to please Him by not only avoiding sin, but pursuing godly actions, words, and thoughts. This aim does not change from this life to the next. However, once I'm home, I get to see first hand His pleasure at what I do, say, and think.