Throughout history (and never more so than today) humans have embraced the mistaken idea that it’s all about them. They try to find happiness and meaning in life and fail miserably. Why? Because they start at the wrong place. They start with themselves! They ask self-centered questions like: “What makes me happy? What do I want to do with my life?”

This popular notion is examined at length by Carl Trueman in his book, Strange New World. “In short, the modern self is one where authenticity is achieved by acting outwardly in accordance with one’s inward feelings… the very notion of ‘personal lifestyle choice’ is a symptom of a society where expressive individualism is the normative way of thinking about self and its place in the world.

 All of this derives from authorizing – indeed, valorizing – that inner voice of nature and then expecting or even demanding that the outside world, from the public square to the individual’s body, conform to this.”

But what if expressive individualism isn’t what we were created for?

What if Colossians 1:15-16 is true?

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see. Everything was created through him and for him.”

What if we were designed for God’s pleasure, rather than our own?

God didn’t need to create you. He chose to create you! Bringing enjoyment to God – living for his pleasure – is the first purpose of your life. When you understand that you will never feel insignificant! Bringing pleasure to God is called “worship.” Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship.

The heart of worship is surrender… yielding to God’s will. Romans 6:13 says, “Give yourselves to God… surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.”

God wants ALL of you

God wants ALL of you, but he won’t “take” you against your will. You must choose to give yourself to God. People refuse to surrender to God because of fear, pride, selfishness or uncertainty. But you can’t wait until you have it all figured out before you give yourself to God. You must step out in faith and trust him.

Everyone surrenders to something. If you don’t give yourself to God, you will surrender to the opinions and expectations of others; to your own lust and pride; to fear and anger; or to material things. You were designed to worship God, and if you fail to worship him, you will give your life to other things (idols).

Followers of Jesus have II Corinthians 5:9 as their motto: “So we make it our goal to please him.” Choosing to live your life for the glory of God will require a change in your priorities, schedule, relationships, and everything else. It will require you to live differently than most people. But what could be more important than living out your true calling and purpose in life?