What is the Goal?

Right now, I should really be doing cases. But after Tim's Bible Study this morning, I want time to process some of the thoughts and takeaways that have been floating around.

For those of you who missed it, we covered Job 19:23-27. The story of Job is about a man who has it all: sons and daughters, livestock, land. Satan comes to God and tells Him that Job only loves God because God has blessed him so much, so God allows Satan to test Job. Satan then kills his sons and daughters, takes away his livestock and even takes away his health. Job is then told by his wife and his friends to just curse God.

But Job doesn't want that. Job GETS it: the blessings in life aren't material. Ultimately our lives are not about trusting that God will give us what we need in a material sense. Ultimately, the blessing in life is a relationship with God, and trusting that God will be victorious and nothing can separate our relationship with Him.

Over the past few weeks, as I've faced uncertainty and disappointment in the job search, I've been challenged with this in my own life. I've clung to promises that God works everything out for God and that He is in control and loves me and wants the best for me. But as I've looked to these passages for inspiration, I've been confronted with a new reality. My life is about a relationship with God and glorifying Him. If I graduated from Darden jobless, with nowhere to live and facing student loan payments, it wouldn't matter because what REALLY matters in life is my relationship with God. If I have God, I have everything.

And I say that, but it hasn't sunk deep in my soul. So my challenge this week is to seek out a relationship with God that trumps everything else. When all this world passes away, when there are no more investment banks or consulting firms, fancy cars, nice apartments, or even marriages, God will be all that's left. Are you living in such a way that the thought of an eternity with God excites you?