Who Are You Following? Sample

Why Do You Want to Be Famous? For decades people have been fawning over celebrities (have you seen video clips of the craziness surrounding the Beatles back in the day?), placing an unbelievable amount of value to the celebrity status. For years people have been striving to gain some of that status for themselves, trying to make their mark and make their name known. The obsession with fame is nothing new and causes fans to create gods out of humans. We have to fix the system so this can change. We’re all human. When God created mankind, He did not make some in His image and others not. He created us all in His image and likeness. It’s not good for you to make gods out of humans and to think less of yourself than others, and it’s not healthy for famous people to be isolated, examined, and exalted in that way. It sets them up to fail and it sets you up to be disap-pointed. There’s one God the Creator, and there is one way that you’re going to find the contentment, validation, and joy that you seek—through Him and no one else. I’ve heard people describe themselves in their jobs nowadays as creators. Writers, artists, people in entertainment. There is nothing wrong with that—I believe that we are made in God’s image, and we were made to create as well. But this can get twisted in our minds. If you’re creating things to share with the world and putting stuff out that people are praising, then people can begin worshiping and idolizing both your work and you. It’s not a leap for that worship to get in your head, and you can end up with this sense of entitlement, like, I should be worshiped for this, because I created it. That is a problem I see in our celebrity culture. We make people feel like they’re God and we treat them like a god because of the things they create. But we would not have the ability to create had God not created our brains, our lungs, our hands, or our hearts in the first place. We are not meant to be worshiped. God is. This is why our calling is not to seek fame but to seek our purpose within God’s kingdom. When we do this, we may accidentally find fame. We may not. But it won’t matter because we will be living our purpose. Purpose is a big deal. It combines something meaningful personally and something important to the world beyond ourselves. When we know our purpose, we are more optimis-tic; we have hope that what we are doing means something. Understanding our purpose brings more satisfaction to our lives and even more positive interactions with our friends and family. Purpose is central to our happiness, our sense of well-being, and our relationships. Without purpose, we have no direction. We ask ourselves: Where do I find my purpose? Here’s a hint: it’s already in your heart. God doesn’t leave you hanging. You don’t have to wait for your purpose to arrive. Don’t search the world around you for the clues; look inside. Your purpose is not some treasure hunt that only God has the map to, some prize that you have to walk around aimlessly to find. You were born with purpose and your purpose comes into play at every stage of the journey. It’s a matter of tuning out the noise and pressures of the world to tune in to His message. I think God gave everyone a purpose to love God and love people. Simple as that. A man who the Bible tells us was an expert in the law asked Jesus, “ ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these’ ” (Mark 12:28–31). If you have made the decision to follow Jesus, you can easily find a window into your purpose in what Jesus tells us is most important: Love God and love people. We are created to do those two things first and foremost; everything else flows from there. Respond Have you identified your purpose? If yes, describe your purpose. If no, write a brief prayer asking Jesus to help you know the purpose God has for you. Prayer Lord and Savior, I am so thankful that I don’t have to do this life alone. You have a plan and a purpose and I love you!