It's not about me

Life has slowed down some around the Pierce household this week, for which I am grateful. I've been fighting a cold, so I've been happy to not have so much running around to do. This slower week has left me without "activities" to blog about, so I thought I'd share something God is teaching me. I've started reading through Ephesians. Some of my favorite verses of scripture come from Ephesians, but I have to admit that I don't know if I've ever read the book through. Anyway, the first 14 verses contain some pretty deep theology about predestination that I don't even begin to understand - although I will say I believe firmly in man's free will and believe we are all given the choice to be one of God's chosen, through faith in Christ. When I read the verses this morning, what struck me was not the choosing of believers, but the reason for the choosing. The scripture tells us that as Christians we are chosen:

"in accordance with His pleasure and will" (vs. 5)
"to the praise of His glorious grace" (vs. 6)
"according to His good pleasure" (vs. 9)
"for the praise of His glory" (vs. 12)
"to the praise of His glory" (vs. 14)

Apparently, it's not about me - it's all about God and His glory and pleasure. I'm afraid I spend way too much time focused on myself and my own pleasure and contentment. So, my prayer is that, through an awareness of and gratefulness for His blessings, by loving and finding joy in those He has placed in my life, and through acts of service to others, my life will in some way be pleasing to Him - because that's who it's all about!