God-Shaped Hole

All throughout my life, I’ve heard preachers refer to a God-shaped hole within the spirit or soul of mankind that can only be filled by God and God alone.  As human beings, we try to find things to fill the void or emptiness in our lives.  God’s purpose for us includes us being useful. Without believing we are useful, we lose our sense of direction or focus.
Or we attempt to distract ourselves from it by filling our days with pleasures, activities, hobbies, sports, fishing, hunting and on and on it can go.

In a recent sermon, I stated that, in my opinion, we are only in control of two things in this life.

1st, We get to decide whether or not we Live for God.
2nd, We determine the attitude that we have about the things that life throws at us.

God decides what we will face, or what he will allow us to face. We then get to choose how we react to those situations.
Our actions, reactions, and attitude determine the legacy that we leave behind as well.

I don’t want to make God sound like a cruel, manipulating being, He is not.  Love has been the underlying foundation of everything He has ever done for His people.
From walking in the cool of the day with Adam to allowing His Blood to spill on the cross.
Also, the Bible tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of the righteous changes things.  We must realize that the thing that He changes is sometimes us.
God can move the mountain, sometimes He does
God can change the mountain to facilitate an easier journey, sometimes He does.
God can translate us to the other side of that mountain, He’s done that too
But most often God gives us the strength to climb the mountain.  All the while, working all things together for good to those that love Him and are called according to His Purpose.

I believe that God created mankind for His good pleasure.  Like we only control two things I also believe we have two purposes on this earth.  They are, 1. to Worship God and 2. to carry God’s message to the world.
I’m sure this is an oversimplification, and I’m also confident that God created many things in this world to make our stay here enjoyable. For example, the vivid colors we see around us could just as quickly been drab and dreary, but God made them bright and beautiful to enhance our existence.  Another example of God’s design, the sense of taste. We could have easily had no knowledge of taste at all, but God wanted us to enjoy the flavor of our nourishment.  There are many examples of God wanting us to be happy and enjoy life. But ultimately Loving God and Loving our neighbor as ourselves are the first two commandments, according to Jesus.

It’s the order we place on things in that tips the scales. By putting God First and His work next our lives can be balanced.  God always wants to be; first, He is, after all, a Jealous God.

There are many things that we should never allow in our lives. Some are spelled out plainly in the scripture as sin. The word also talks about weights, it says to lay aside EVERY weight and THE sin which so easily besets us.  Some things are not a sin when in their proper order, but can become sin or cause sin if allowed an elevated status in our lives.

Once our heart has the King of Kings sitting on it’s thrown, the rest will be easier to sort out.  As long as our heart is conflicted about who it’s king is we will never have peace or joy.  And again from the word “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24)

Another dangerous thing for humans is to be praised or worshipped by others. People are meant to worship not to be worshipped.  Praise and worship of a person or things pervert the intent of that person or thing.  When people are placed on a pedestal and idolized, they become the god of their own heart and mind.  They begin to believe they are worthy of that praise and are somehow better than those that are adoring them.  They start to believe themselves smarter and their opinion to be more than that.
I call it Hollyweird, but the truth is the weirdness is a symptom of godless worship. Actors believing themselves to be gods among men. Living in palaces, preaching their ideas as gospel.  Demanding the adoration of those around them. Treating others as inferior.
Do a search for weird demands by actors if you don’t believe it.
I heard first hand from a former stagehand that one famous singer makes all the staff face the wall when she walks to and from the stage so they can’t look at her.

It doesn’t have to be on a national or international scale either, it can also happen within the church.  Singers, musicians, and sometimes even preachers can fall prey to this dangerous situation.
If God gives you a talent, it was so you could use it for His Glory and in worship to Him. He can easily take it away.  Christian musicians often fall when they start getting famous. They begin to believe that a God-given talent is somehow of their own making and little by little remove God from their message.  Many will completely turn from God and deny where they came from.
It’s so important to keep things in perspective and keep God first.
Lucifer was created by God, his talents given to him by God, but he became lifted up in those talents and thought himself equal to God. He also led a third of the angels in that deception.  If that can happen in Heaven, in the very presence of the Almighty how much more must we be cautious of where and who we follow.

The God that we serve is able to Keep us and wants us to be successful and above all saved.  He also wants to be first, always first.
God knows what you are capable of, even better than you do and will never put more on you than you can bear.  If it is on you, God knows you can handle it.

Just Trust in the Lord, acknowledge Him, lean not to your own understanding.
His plan for you only requires your participation, not your understanding.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. Love God First, Serve God always.  Trust Him to know what’s right and best for you.

God Bless You Richly, thank you for stopping by!