How is your relationship or any relationship able to stay God centered. And how is it possible to live out a life that is truly and wholeheartedly following the Lord. There are so many temptations in the world that it seems like I am so easily sidetracked.
My answer might sound like a circular argument. I live a God-centered life by committing to put Him in the center at all times. There’s a tendency to say that since I am saved now, I do not have to worry about focusing on God. As a result, we become complacent and lukewarm. We might go to church, go to fellowship or even go to prayer meeting. But we don’t have that burning passion or desire to serve the Lord. We worry about the things of this world. Even though we say we want God to lead our lives, unconsciously we plan our lives and our career without considering God at all.
God often speaks to us softly. Just like how He spoke to Elijah after the earthquake and the wind (1 King 19). If we are so busy fixing our eyes on the next big thing in our life, God will not use us because we are not listening to Him. For most of you the next thing might be finishing the first year or the last year of university. It might be looking your first job, getting a car or finding a relationship. God doesn’t force us to follow Him. To be used by Him is a voluntary surrendering of our lives.
Coming to Singapore was such a big task I could not rely on myself. I HAD to trust the Lord because He is my only way. As a result, my life is centered around Him. Of course, there are times when I do not feel like praying or reading the Bible or spending time with Him. My relationship with the Lord is not always as focused or as disciplined as I would like it to be. When I came back from Canada, I told Wai Jia that I longed to spend more quiet time and build that relationship with Jesus.
We need to cultivate the ability to discern God’s way. Currently, some of my favorite Christian authors are A.B Simpson, founder of Christian and Missionary Alliance, and Oswald Chambers. When I read their writings, they always focus on the relationship with God and the ability to discern His Way. Sometimes good advice from Christians and friends might not be the Lord’s way. We need Heavenly wisdom to distinguish the difference. We need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit. I am still learning this. We need to cultivate this. Or else we will not be God-centered. Jesus said the Holy Spirit is our teacher (John 14:26) and our guide (John 16:13). We need to rest on that.
