"Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” - Colossians 3:17

“If we are going to truly flourish as human beings, we can’t create an alternate reality, little world with ourselves at the center. That is what lies at the root of illegitimate glory hunger - an inordinate concern with and attentiveness to oneself. A world with everything orbiting around us will crumble, because it is not real. We are not God and cannot shoulder the burden of being God.

A vision of God’s greatness and a zeal for his clout and fame are the only things that will displace a zeal for personal clout and fame. In a world consumed with personal glory, Jesus shows us the way to life. His invitation is to lose our life - to renounce our obsessive concern with ourselves and make the glory of God our consuming desire. Life and freedom are found not in satisfying the insatiable demands of our ego but in centering our lives on something entirely outside of ourselves, bigger than ourselves…becoming less preoccupied with ourselves and more preoccupied with God.”

- JR Vassar in “Glory Hunger"

What happens when we put ourselves at the center and don’t have whatever we do directed towards God’s glory is we end up fragmented, pulled apart and disintegrated because we’ve cut ourselves off from the true source of life.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” - John 15:5

As Christians represent Christ and are empowered by Him to live the life we were made for and long to enjoy.

We can either live for our own names or for Jesus’ name. The problem is we can’t give ourselves life no matter how hard we try, no matter what we say and do, it must come from the author of life, Jesus Christ.

The life of a Christian is a life of gratitude. 

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” - James 1:17

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

God sent His Son Jesus into the world as our light and our salvation. Thank you God for giving us life!

JR Vassar, “Glory Hunger"

Chuck DeGroat, "Wholeheartedness: Busyness, Exhaustion, and Healing the Divided Self"

John Piper, "Desiring God"