The Equation For Wholeness 1 Timothy 6:9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction In his book The Sensation of Being Somebody , Maurice Wagner expresses a false belief in simple equations we tend to accept. He says we mistakenly think that good appearance plus the admiration it brings equals a whole person. Or we feel that star performance plus accomplishments equals a whole person. Or we believe that a certain amount of status plus the recognition we accumulate equals a whole person. Not so. These equations are no more correct than two plus two equals six. Wagner says: Try as we might by our appearance, performance, or social status to find self-verification for a sense of being somebody, we always come short of satisfaction. Whatever pinnacle of self-identity we achieve soon crumbles under the pressure of hostile rejection or criticism, introspection or guilt, fear or anxiety. We cannot do anything to qualify for the by-product of being loved unconditionally and voluntarily (Maurice Wagner, The Sensation of Being Somebody , Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1975, p. 163). If these equations could work for anyone, they would have worked for King Solomon. He was the king of Israel during the greatest years in her history. If a meaningful life is the result of appearance, admiration, performance, accomplishments, status, or recognition, Solomon would have been the most together man who ever lived. But God also gave the king an extra dose of wisdom to interpret his achievements. What was his commentary on it all? Meaningless! Meaningless! . . . Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 1:2 NIV ). Take the advice of the wise king: All the stuff and status you can acquire dont add up to personal wholeness. Millions of people climb those ladders to success, only to discover when they reach the top that they are leaning against the wrong wall! The only identity equation that works in Gods kingdom is you plus Christ equals wholeness and meaning. Are you gradually moving away from Christ to seek wholeness in being with people at the expense of Christ? Are you pleasing some people at the expense of Christ to seek wholeness? Are you bending Gods principles to suit yourself in gaining acceptance to the world? There is still an opportunity of retracing your steps and going back to God at the point where you deviated. And perhaps you are getting frustrated of looking unwholesome to the people of the world because you are hanging on to Christ, dont be. Mans view of you is simply reputation which is false identity but Gods view of you is integrity which is your true identity and the strength of character. Prayer: Heavenly Father, I affirm that nothing in this world can make me more complete than I already am in Christ.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 05:29:52 +0000
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