The Egotist
“‘But for the sake of my name, I brought them out of Egypt. I did it to keep my name from being profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they lived and in whose sight I had revealed myself to the Israelites.’”
Today’s Text: Ezekiel 20:1-9 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
It is because of the LORD’s concern for the glory of His name that we can have any hope. God desires that His glory be known in all the earth and in all the universe. And if God is love (which He is), it is for His glory that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I remember listening to a message by Louie Giglio a long time ago (The Passion Movement), and he said something like “God is an egotist!” Obviously, he was trying to get our attention with a provocative statement. But that idea, essentially, is right on the money.
And as the Creator of heaven and earth, the Giver of life, the Author of our salvation, the Sustainer of all things, God alone has the right to be an egotist. God is THE Egotist. And anyone else who is an egotist is making a claim to be God or a god.
And thank God that He is an egotist, because it is only in God’s position as THE Egotist that life has any meaning and purpose. It is only in God’s position as THE Egotist that any human being can have any hope for abundant, eternal life.
Furthermore, as Christians, it is critical to understand the relationship of the local church to THE Egotist.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians -
10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
— Ephesians 3:10
What that means is that every local church (Paul is writing to Ephesian churches—local churches) is the manifestation of God’s “manifold wisdom” (which is perfect and indisputable), and that it was God’s eternal, predestined plan to manifest His glory in the universe through the work of Jesus Christ our Lord, who gives birth to every local church that worships and bears witness to His name.
In other words, every local church that follows Jesus as Lord, that calls upon His name, is at the very center of God’s endgame to be glorified in His creation.
People who think that Christian faith is only about me-myself-and-i and God just don’t get it. They are, basically, being egotists. Because if they really understood that it is about GOD, and that what is best for me-myself-and-i is to be firmly established in HIS eternal purpose, they would start to see how significant every local church is.
It is why GCC and this Canvas family exist. We exist only by His sovereign grace and mercy and for His glory, and in that, for our good.
Father, You are the end-all and be-all of all things. You are the end-all and be-all of my existence. You are the end-all and be-all of my life yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I confess that I often lose sight of that perspective, even though, in my head, I know it is the truth. Help me to see Your perspective more clearly and live my life accordingly. And use me to build up Your church for Your glory. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
