Revolving Our Lives Around the True God

 

Summary

We are all naturally inclined to see ourselves as the center of our own universe, believing that the best possible life is one filled with more of ourselves—our preferences, our desires, our ways of thinking. This tendency doesn’t just shape our relationships or ambitions; it also deeply influences how we perceive God. We often imagine God as a perfected version of ourselves, someone who shares our opinions, dislikes what we dislike, and wants what we want. This is not a new phenomenon; it’s a deeply human impulse to reshape God into a more comfortable, manageable image—one that fits neatly into our own desires and expectations.

Throughout history, this has been a recurring challenge for people of faith. From the Israelites at Sinai, who, in their impatience, crafted a golden calf to represent God, to modern expressions of “Sheilaism”—a faith built on personal preference and self-expression—there is a constant temptation to reduce God to something we can control or manipulate. Yet, the God revealed in Scripture is not a projection of our best selves. He is the Creator, the one who brings order out of chaos, who is both transcendent and intimately involved with His people. He is Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God, whose character is defined by compassion, grace, patience, and steadfast love, but also by justice.

God’s self-description to Moses—“The Lord, the Lord, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”—stands in stark contrast to the gods of the ancient world, who were capricious and easily angered. Our God is not easily manipulated or tamed. He is who He is, and He will be who He will be. He invites us to trust Him, not just to believe that He exists, but to believe in Him—to entrust ourselves to His character and His ways, even when they challenge our own desires.

The call, then, is to recognize that our wants do not always lead us to the best life. Instead of trying to get God to revolve around us, we are invited to revolve our lives around Him. This is a daily, sometimes difficult, act of surrender and trust. It means letting go of the small gods we’ve made in our own image and submitting ourselves to the God who is far greater, wiser, and more loving than we could ever imagine.

Key Takeaways

- The Human Tendency to Remake God
We instinctively project our own personalities, preferences, and desires onto God, imagining Him as a reflection of ourselves. This is a subtle but powerful form of idolatry, as it reduces the infinite, holy God to a manageable, familiar image. True faith requires us to confront this impulse and seek to know God as He truly is, not as we wish Him to be. [03:35]

- The Danger of a Personalized Faith
Modern culture prizes individual freedom and self-expression, often leading to a faith that is intensely private and shaped by personal preference. While this may feel liberating, it ultimately leads to spiritual emptiness and loneliness, as we lose connection with the historic, communal, and transcendent reality of God. Authentic Christianity calls us out of self-made religion and into a shared confession rooted in God’s revelation. [07:25]

- God’s Unchanging Character
Unlike the gods of the ancient world, who were unpredictable and easily angered, the God of the Bible defines Himself as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness. He cannot be manipulated or domesticated; He remains true to Himself regardless of our shifting loyalties or desires. This steadfastness is both a comfort and a challenge, inviting us to trust Him even when His ways are not our ways. [22:07]

- The Difference Between Believing That and Believing In
There is a crucial distinction between believing that God exists and believing in God. The former is mere intellectual assent; the latter is an act of trust and surrender, akin to jumping out of a plane with a parachute. Faith is not just about knowing facts about God, but about entrusting ourselves to Him, relying on His character and promises in the midst of uncertainty. [28:01]

- Revolving Our Lives Around God, Not Ourselves
If our wants do not always lead us to the best life, then it is folly to make them the center of our existence. Instead, we are called to revolve our lives around God, submitting our desires and ambitions to His greater wisdom and love. This is a daily act of humility, requiring us to let go of control and trust that God’s ways are higher and better than our own. [31:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:35] - The Search for the Ideal Self
[03:35] - Projecting Ourselves onto Jesus
[05:44] - “Sheilaism” and Personalized Faith
[07:25] - The Rise of Individualism and Its Consequences
[10:42] - The Nicene Creed: Defining Christian Essentials
[14:20] - God as Creator: Elohim and Yahweh
[17:42] - The Golden Calf: Remaking God in Our Image
[19:30] - Freedom Misused: Reshaping God to Fit Our Wants
[20:26] - God’s Self-Description to Moses
[22:07] - The Radical Compassion and Justice of God
[24:34] - Mercy, Justice, and the Limits of Human Understanding
[26:23] - What Makes a Christian?
[28:01] - Believing In vs. Believing That
[29:55] - Manifesting vs. Prayer: Who’s at the Center?
[31:11] - Revolving Around God, Not Ourselves
[32:21] - The God of Our Design vs. The God Who Is
[33:26] - Prayer and Surrender

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

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### Bible Reading

- Exodus 32:1-6 (The Golden Calf: Israel remakes God in their image)
- Exodus 34:5-7 (God’s self-description to Moses: “The Lord, the Lord, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…”)
- Romans 1:21-23 (People exchange the glory of God for images made to look like mortal man)

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### Observation Questions

1. In Exodus 32:1-6, what did the Israelites do while Moses was on the mountain, and what does this reveal about their view of God?
2. According to Exodus 34:5-7, how does God describe Himself to Moses? What words or phrases stand out to you in this description?
3. In Romans 1:21-23, what does Paul say people exchanged, and what did they replace it with?
4. The sermon mentioned that people often say, “That’s not my Jesus” or “That’s not the God I worship.” What does this reaction reveal about how we approach God? [03:35]

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### Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think the Israelites were so quick to make a golden calf, even after experiencing God’s miracles and rescue? What does this say about human nature and our desire for a “manageable” God? [17:42]
2. God’s self-description in Exodus 34:5-7 includes both compassion and justice. Why is it important that God is both merciful and just, and not just one or the other? [24:34]
3. The sermon draws a distinction between “believing that” God exists and “believing in” God. What is the difference, and why does it matter for our faith? [28:01]
4. How does the tendency to project our own preferences onto God become a subtle form of idolatry, according to the sermon? [03:35]

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### Application Questions

1. The sermon said, “We instinctively project our own personalities, preferences, and desires onto God, imagining Him as a reflection of ourselves.” Can you think of a time when you realized you were doing this? What was the result? [03:35]
2. The Israelites used their freedom to reshape God to fit their wants. In what ways do you see yourself or our culture doing the same thing today? [19:30]
3. God describes Himself as “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Which of these qualities is hardest for you to trust or accept about God, and why? [22:07]
4. The sermon challenged us to “revolve our lives around God, not ourselves.” What is one area of your life where you are tempted to put your own wants at the center? What would it look like to surrender that area to God? [31:11]
5. The difference between “believing that” and “believing in” God was compared to knowing parachutes work versus actually jumping out of a plane with one. Is there an area of your life where you need to move from intellectual belief to real trust in God? What would that step look like for you? [28:01]
6. The sermon mentioned that a personalized, private faith can lead to spiritual emptiness and loneliness. How can you stay connected to the historic, communal, and transcendent reality of God in your daily life? [07:25]
7. The pastor prayed, “We confess that our own wants are not big enough or powerful enough or good enough to be our own God.” What is one practical way you can remind yourself of this truth this week? [33:26]

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Devotional

Day 1: The Danger of Shaping God in Our Own Image
It is a common human tendency to imagine God as a reflection of ourselves—sharing our preferences, dislikes, and even our political views. This inclination leads us to create a version of God who is comfortable, manageable, and always agrees with us. However, when we reduce God to a better version of our best self, we lose sight of His true nature and risk missing out on the transformative power of encountering the real, living God. The challenge is to recognize where we have tried to fit God into our own mold and to open ourselves to who He truly is, even when it challenges our assumptions or desires. [03:35]

Romans 1:22-23 (ESV)
"Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things."

Reflection: In what ways have you tried to make God more like yourself, and how might you begin to let go of those assumptions to seek Him as He truly is?


Day 2: God Brings Order to Chaos
From the very beginning, God is revealed as the One who brings order to what is formless and empty. He is not a distant or indifferent force, but the Creator who shapes the chaotic into something meaningful and good. This foundational truth reminds us that God is not a product of our imagination or desires, but the sovereign Elohim who gives structure and purpose to all things, including the most disordered parts of our lives. [14:20]

Genesis 1:1-2 (ESV)
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Reflection: Where in your life do you feel chaos or emptiness, and how can you invite God to bring His order and purpose into those places today?


Day 3: God’s Unchanging Nature and Self-Definition
God reveals Himself as Yahweh, the One who is as He will be, unchanging and self-defining. Unlike the gods of human invention, He does not accommodate Himself to our shifting desires or expectations. Instead, He invites us to know Him as He truly is—compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, yet also just. This means we must take God on His terms, not ours, and trust that His character is both merciful and righteous, even when it challenges our understanding. [22:07]

Exodus 34:6-7 (ESV)
"The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.'"

Reflection: How does knowing that God does not change to fit your desires challenge or comfort you, and what would it look like to trust Him as He truly is?


Day 4: Believing in God Means Trust, Not Just Knowledge
To be a Christian is not merely to believe that God exists or to know facts about Him, but to trust in Him personally. There is a significant difference between believing that parachutes work and actually jumping out of a plane with one. In the same way, faith in God is not just intellectual agreement but a lived trust that places our lives in His hands, even when it means surrendering our own control or preferences. [28:01]

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
"And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are holding back from truly trusting God, and how can you take a step of faith in that area today?


Day 5: Revolving Our Lives Around God, Not Our Wants
Our culture often tells us that the highest good is found in pursuing our own desires, happiness, and self-expression. Yet, the truth is that our wants do not always lead us to the best life. Instead of trying to get God to revolve around us, we are invited to revolve our lives around Him—the One who is worthy of our trust and worship. This counter-cultural call asks us to examine whether we are following a God of our own design or surrendering to the God who truly is. [31:11]

Matthew 16:24-25 (ESV)
"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.'"

Reflection: What is one want or desire you need to surrender today in order to revolve your life more fully around God?

Quotes



You see, in essence, what we're trying to do over and over again, and this is whether you've been a follower of Jesus for your whole life, you're investigating Jesus, or you're just kind of not sure about it. In some form or another, every one of us tries to do our best to shape God into something a little bit more comfortable for us. [00:04:31] (16 seconds) Edit Clip


Although they claim to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God. Glory is the word, the sort of, um, sort of, how do you say this? Uncontainable presence of God's goodness and presence among us. Exchange the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles. In other words, all of what we're trying to do constantly, what these people are trying to do in this particular passage is to reduce God to smaller and more manageable sizes. [00:04:47] (29 seconds) Edit Clip


Now, the belief was at the time, this is 2016 when he wrote this, that roughly 10 years later that you would have, people would have a greater sense of freedom and fullness than they've ever had in their lives because they've managed to create a society that looked like that. And what we find is not greater freedom and greater fullness in society. We actually find increased levels of loneliness and despair. [00:08:00] (18 seconds) Edit Clip


So this passage is God passes in front of Moses, which there's a kind of interesting sort of way that that works. What I am. I will be is how he defines himself twice. What I am. I will be what I am. I will be this is then a determination by God to be something that or someone that can only be defined by himself. What one Bible commentary says it like this, Yahweh, Yahweh summarizes dramatically that Yahweh will not accommodate his nature to the vagaries of his people's commitment. In other words, the people are kind of going back and forth. Yeah, God rescue us, save us. And like you're taking too long. Now we have another guy. [00:21:36] (31 seconds) Edit Clip


So it's not just simply that we believe that God is, or that there is a God. It's believing in God. That's a different kind of idea. Now, according to the Bible, this is, this God is gracious and compassionate and he cannot be manipulated or reduced or tamed. God is as God will be. And the tendency for everyone, this isn't just for some people, the tendency for everyone is to find a way to make an unchanging God change for us always. That's our tendency. [00:28:51] (26 seconds) Edit Clip


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Transcript
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