In the pursuit of God, make sure that He is the end and not a means to an end.
Often, our devotion, chastity, consecration, holy living, and self-restraint in the pursuit of a relationship with God are not based on a true desire to know God or a sincere love for Him. We exhibit pretentious faith in God to receive gifts from Him.
There are occasions when we set out to receive God’s blessings, and upon hearing that a certain level of consecration is required, we subject ourselves to the same without a sincere intention to know God or His ways. We cry unto God and show how dependent we are on Him. We might even fast and devote more time to praying and studying the Bible. However, the moment the blessing comes we abandon God to focus on enjoying the blessing. The true mindset crystalises and devotion to God and life of consecration become distant thoughts.
God has become a means to an end and not the end itself. After all, what we wanted was that house, business growth, career advancement, political office, children, marriage, healing, deliverance, job, etc., and since we heard that God is the surest route to those blessings, we followed him. The moment we arrived at our destination, we alighted and bade God farewell. He was the bus to our destination; he was never the destination.
In Deuteronomy 6:12, we are warned that God’s blessings when focused on can make someone forget and abandon the Giver. In the preceding verses, God showed Israel that they were getting into cities they didn’t build, houses full of all the good things they didn’t fill, wells they didn’t dig, and vineyards and olive trees they didn’t plant. Hence, the warning that satiety can make one forget his deliverer.
Dearly beloved, beware lest you forget the God that heard your midnight tears when the answer comes.
