Who Does God Want You to Be?

By Chris Carpenter
CBN.com Producer

CBN.com - Who does God want you to be? That is a question I am sure most of you have pondered at one time or another in your lifes journey. This is a question that I meditate upon each morning as I prepare for the day ahead. I always ask myself that simple question, Lord, who do you want me to be today?

It is when I really stop to ponder this question that I become bogged down in all the complexities that the question at hand involves. In "The Seven Season's of a Man's Life" author Patrick M. Morley states, "There is a God we want, and there is a God who is." Invariably I arrive at a similar spiritual crossroads ... am I seeking the God I want or am I seeking the God who is?

Sometimes the answer is so crystallized with clarity that I float through my daily activities with a divine sense of purpose. However, there have been days in the past where I scratched my head in bewildered befuddlement not quite sure of where I stood.

With the problems of the world spinning so rapidly out of control these days, what, with war, terrorism, hate, and racial strife being thrust upon us minute by minute, it is critical that we know who God wants us to be and what our role is.

Perhaps the largest problem in determining who God wants us to be is the battle between being a Cultural Christian and a Bible based Christian. The term Cultural Christian has become a popular buzzword in theology circles in recent years but it holds an incredible degree of truth. Morley defines it as someone who has divided his loyalties between God and the things/events of this world.

It is so easy to get caught up in the people, places, and things that the world has to offer that sometimes our faith takes a backseat and we dont even realize it. For example, I worked for many years in the secular sports media. Due to the high demands of reporting on games that took place on Sunday, I found myself constantly compromising my faith by telling myself on any given Sabbath, "Even though I cant be in church this morning I will definitely go to the evening service." While my intentions were good I rarely followed through on this self imposed promise to actually attend church that evening. I was always too tired, had too much work to do back at the office, or my colleagues wanted me to go grab a bite to eat with them after the game. The end result was that I was fast becoming a stranger to people in my own church. Even worse, I was becoming a stranger to myself.

This is not who God wanted me to be. I was allowing my world around me dictate how I practiced my faith. I eventually hit a low spot where I had truly become a Cultural Christian without even realizing it. Maybe you can relate.

The only way to determine who God truly wants us to be is to stay rooted in His word, thus the aforementioned term Bible based Christian.

In Psalm 1:1-3 it says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

We are all affected greatly by our world and community that revolves around us. Thus, it is incredibly easy to shape our thinking and morals around the standards that society creates for us. While some of these influences are positive, many others are not. In fact, they can be a destructive force without us even realizing it.

It is important to remember that quality time spent with God will greatly enhance your outlook on life. It is common sense really. Think about this for a moment. The more time you spend with someone the better you get to know him or her. The better you know someone your knowledge and belief in them becomes clearer. Therefore, as your faith becomes stronger your love for God becomes clearer.

Now back to the original question. Who does God want you to be? For that question I do not have an answer. That is between you and God.

Material used in this article from The Transformer Study Bible.

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