Scriptures: Habakkuk 3:2, Isaiah 43:21, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 9:17-24

Made for Fame

“I won’t be happy until I am famous like God.” These words were uttered not by some obscure person just starting off on a career in search of notoriety. They were declared by the mega-superstar Madonna, well after she had achieved worldwide celebrity. She was quite possibly the most famous woman on the planet, and yet it was not enough.

“Fame doesn’t end loneliness.” Once again, these are the words of a star—actress Claire Danes. She had achieved her goal—fame—but it was not enough.

The people who have fame tell us it does not satisfy. So why do we still pursue it? My answer may surprise you. Are you ready? I believe we are drawn to fame and pursue fame because we were made for fame. We have this universal pull toward fame because our Creator hardwired the desire into us. He designed us as vessels capable of gathering, possessing, and transporting fame. We are drawn to fame because we were made for fame.

But we have confused the fame for which we were made with the one we know—the one that surrounds us. Isaiah 43:21 reminds us that God formed us for His purposes—primarily that of proclaiming His praise. The prophet Habakkuk, when confronted with looming judgment and a call from God to be the vessel of His mighty power, declared, “Lord, I have heard of your fame, I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2).

In other words, “Do it again, God!”

You and I were made for fame. His fame. It is time to aim the influence of our lives in the direction of His glory.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 8:3, Exodus 33:12-23, Jeremiah 1:5, John 10:14

KNOWN

We try to become famous when we should long to be known by Him. These concepts are so easily confused, but the difference means everything about where we aim our lives. One leads to separating our purpose from His, while the other leads into the intimacy for which we were created.

In Exodus 33, Moses pleads with God to go with him, and God agrees specifically because Moses was known by God: “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.” (v. 17)

This moment—the one in which God grants my request—is usually the one that satisfies me and causes me to walk away. But not Moses! No, Moses is not satisfied with a narrow answer. He wants to see God. He wants to experience and be known byGod: “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18)

Guess what? God said yes! When Moses insisted and persisted, God hid Moses in a cleft in the rock, covered him with His hand, passed by, and then removed His hand so that Moses could see Him. (Exodus 33:19–23)

Let’s no longer waste time pursuing our own fame. Let’s no longer accept a narrow answer from God. He is ready and eager to reveal more of Himself to us. He longs to know and be known. God, show us Your glory!

Scriptures: Psalms 63:8, Mark 15:1-15, James 3:1, Matthew 6:24, John 12:42-43, Galatians 1:10

Follow Hard

I cringe just a bit when I hear the word leadership. I cringe not because I think it unimportant but because all too often we are encouraged to pursue the wrong kind of leadership—and for leadership itself to be a primary pursuit. Leadership can be good, but it should never be the goal. We were made to follow well. We were made to follow hard (Psalm 63:8).

This distinction is anything but trivial. On the one hand, if our eyes are on the crowd, we will make decisions based on their reaction. Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he surrendered an innocent man—Jesus—to His slaughter (Mark 15:1–15). But if our eyes are set on following hard after Jesus, it will ensure that any who may follow us are not led astray. This is especially critical when we consider that we will be held to account for those who follow us (James 3:1).

There is a temptation to push our way to the front of the crowd. But when we make choices based on where it will position us in the crowd rather than on who we are following, it is highly destructive.

Leadership that is not a by-product of following well is worse than worthless. We were made to follow well. We were made to follow hard.

Scriptures: Genesis 18:16-33, Habakkuk 3:2, James 2:12-13, John 8:9-11

Righteous Remnant

I am pretty good at calling down judgment on the wicked. It comes naturally. I am not as good at advocating for the righteous and for mercy. It is not nearly as natural for me.

In Genesis 18, God tells Abraham about His plan to destroy Sodom for its wickedness. If I were Abraham in this moment, I would think I love the idea. Sodom is full of wickedness, and what could be better than God’s power rendering judgment on the wicked?

Abraham does the opposite of rejoice about the coming judgment. Instead, he pleads for the preservation of any righteous remnant in the city. He begins by asking God if He will save the city if just fifty righteous people can be found within its limits. God is quick to agree, and Abraham goes back not once, not twice, but six times asking God to reduce the number He will require in order to choose mercy. In the end, God and Abraham settle on the number ten. If ten righteous people can be found in Sodom, God will spare the city on Abraham’s behalf.

I cannot help but notice that God is willing to go as far as Abraham is willing to ask in terms of granting mercy. Why did they settle on ten? Because that was when Abraham stopped asking. How often do I walk away before I have reached the limits of the mercy God is willing to extend to our land?

God is willing to wrap His judgment in mercy. But how often are we advocating for it? How often do I choose to advocate for the righteous remnant rather than celebrate the impending judgment? O God, “in wrath, remember mercy.” (Habakkuk 3:2)

Scriptures: Habakkuk 1:1-5, Habakkuk 2:1, 1 Corinthians 12:27, John 14:12, Galatians 2:20

“Do it again, God, and use me!” 

“I believe my God can do it.” I have said something similar countless times in my life. In fact, for much of my life, I have believed it to be an expression of full faith. I am beginning to learn it is far from a complete expression of what God desires from me. In fact, an expression of belief is merely the first step in realizing what God wants to do through me.

When Habakkuk confronted God about the injustices in the land, God responded with a mission for Habakkuk: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it” (Habakkuk 2:2). In other words, God was not looking for a mere expression of belief that God could provide a remedy; He was looking for someone who would step in and carry that remedy. He was looking for someone who would move from saying, “I believe my God can do it,” to saying, “Do it again, God, and use me!”

Are you grieved by what you see happening around you? Do you wonder why God has permitted it? Do you lament that He has remained silent and stayed His hand? Have you considered that perhaps His silence and absence is due to the fact that His plan is, in fact, you? You are His plan. He created you to be the mechanism by which His fame and power would reach the tangible world He created.

I am glad you have said, “I believe my God can do it.” But it is now time to turn that belief into action. It is time to say, “Do it again, God, and use me!”