God

God

Everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Romans 11:36

A FEW YEARS AGO I SAW A MOVIE where the main character says he feels like life is a movie, and he’s the star of it.^a Everyone else—his neighbors, coworkers, family members, the waitress at the restaurant—are just supporting actors making occasional cameo appearances in the movie about his life.

The idea would be kind of clever and funny if it didn’t hit so close to home.

Do you feel like the star of your story? Does it seem like your family and friends have been included in it to support you? And the waitress and garbage man and grocery clerk exist to serve you?

We would never say it like that, but most people think that way. And can I suggest it’s why most people go through life mostly sad?

There’s a little problem with the way we tend to think.

It’s all wrong.

Life is a story, but it’s not about you.

God is the star of the story.

Life: Starring God

It’s all about God.

If you kind of think of yourself as the center of the universe, this idea will bother you, but it’s all about God.

It’s always been all about God. In fact, in the beginning, there was only God. Now don’t picture God being lonely, because he wasn’t. As I’ve mentioned, God has always existed in perfect community. He is three, yet one. The word Trinity is often used to describe this idea. God is three distinct beings who live in such tight-knit, loving, bonded community that they exist as only one being, one God. One God made up of three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

God is the star. And somehow, despite being God, God is so humble that each member of the Trinity tries to make the others the stars. We see God the Father glorifying his Son Jesus.^b We see Jesus glorifying his Father.^c We see the Holy Spirit of God glorifying God the Son.^d God is so humble that each member of the Trinity tries to defer glory to the other members of the Trinity. But make no mistake, God is the star of the story.

And God decided to create. He created a universe, an earth. Why? “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”^e The creation glorifies the Creator. Nature points to God, because he is the star of the story.

God also decided to create people. Why? God says, “I have made them for my glory.”^f In fact, we’re commanded, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”^g And we’re given this blessing: “May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”^h We exist to glorify God. We’re to point our lives at him and honor him as the star of the story.

Who Will Be the Star of Your Story?

So the question you and I have to answer, not just one initial time, but a thousand times every day, is: Who will be the star of my story? Will I live my life and make decisions to try to glorify myself, or will I seek to bring glory to God in everything I do?

You may think living your life for God’s pleasure instead of for your desires might lead you to a smaller life, but exactly the opposite will happen. Your life will be so much bigger and so much better.

In his book Disciple: Getting Your Identity from Jesus, Bill Clem gives a great illustration of this:

Imagine two drama students, each with a dream of making it big as an actress.

One day the first drama student comes up with a plan. She decides to create her own play with a starring role for herself. Though she’s never written, she starts working on a script. Once it’s completed, realizing that she can’t afford to pay other actors, she enlists two of her friends to take the other roles. She doesn’t have money to rent a venue or create staging, so she talks her parents into allowing the play to be performed in their garage.

The second drama student auditions for a small part in a big Broadway play in New York. She gets the part. It’s a minor role, but she’ll be working with some of the best actors, acting coaches, directors, and producers in the industry, and an outstanding playwright wrote the script.

Which student do you think will have the more significant experience? My money is on the one in the Broadway play: she may have a small role, but she is part of something much bigger than she could ever hope to create on her own. The girl in the garage, on the other hand, is trying to convince herself that she’s constructed something worth being a part of. But, in reality, she has constricted herself to a very small story played out in a very small setting.

When you choose to live your own story, it’s very small. Because you are the star of it, you may think it’s a big deal, but it’s really not.

But when you choose to find yourself in God’s story and make him the star of it, you become a part of something huge. Your life will be, and it will feel, much bigger and more important, because you’re no longer the most important person in the story.

Are You Sure God Is the Star?

Some people choose to construct and live out their own stories. Then at some point they invite God into their stories. They’ll tell you, “I invited Jesus into my life.” But honestly, the way they live their lives reveals that it’s still their story.

God’s not proposing that we invite him into our lives. He’s asking us to give him our lives. We surrender our lives to God’s will and to living for his glory. We say, “I want to be a part of God’s story. And even if I just get a bit part, that’s okay, because I’m still part of the BIG story. Because pleasing and bringing glory to God is the most significant thing I can experience, that’s what I want to do with my life.”

Now What?

• Read Colossians 3:1-17.
• How does this passage describe a life lived for God’s glory? What do you think would need to change for your life to better point to and glorify God as the star of the story?
• Tell God that he is the star of your story. Admit to him your fears about that and the ways you feel inadequate to actually live that way. Ask him for help!