Satan has conned many people into a twisted view of the Christian life. We imagine that God calls us to do things that won’t be good for us, while the unbelievers are out there having all the fun. In fact, anything done for God’s glory also works for our good.
Choosing what is good and right will always be to our advantage. Wrongdoing sometimes appears to offer benefits, and doing right may seem to bring serious disadvantages. But in the long run, in this life and in the afterlife, God rewards His children’s right choices and confers consequences (not eternal punishment) for wrong ones. “A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7, NIV).
What is in God’s best interests is also in others’ best interests and in my best interests, not necessarily immediately but always in the end. Something that is good will be good for everyone, not good for God and bad for me, or good for me and bad for my neighbor. Each time I obey God, I’m doing what’s ultimately best for all.
Perspectives from God’s Word
“Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land” (Psalm 25:12–13).
“The simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster” (Proverbs 1:32–33).
Perspectives from God’s People
“God has not created a universe where you must choose between your joy and his glory.” —John Piper
“Since man was made for the glory of God, he can never be what he was intended to be until his life is properly focused on the glory of God.… So God’s glory does not detract from man’s life. Instead, His glory is the sun around which the whole of life must revolve if there is to be the light and life of God in our experience.” —Sinclair Ferguson
This article is excerpted from the expanded edition of Randy’s book Seeing the Unseen. This 90-day devotional equips and inspires readers to live with a right view of eternity that can shape the way they think and live today.
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