To be transformed to live for the Master changes how we use His resources and how we answer the question "what is important?" Perhaps more than any other indicator, how we honestly respond to what we consider to be important provides the continental divide between living for God verses serving ourselves or some other idolatrous impulse.

Many people have various ideas about what is important. It is these beliefs which determine how they will make their decisions and to what or to whom their life is dedicated. Some people consider very important:

• Achieving a personal goal.
• Ensuring a large and diversified bottom-line.
• Avoiding making a mistake.
• Controlling what other people think about them. (Do they think I am important? Reliable? Successful? Kind? etc.)
• Living a long healthy life and enjoying a comfortable retirement.
• Being accepted by a group whom they consider to be important. (Family, a company, friends, etc.)
• Obtaining "the good life."

When we die to ourselves and are raised to serve God (Colossians 2:12-13; 3:1-3; Romans 6:2-18), the futile shackles of being driven by worldly based societal and economic values are destroyed. No longer is our life formed within the cruel crucible of pursuing the transitory approval and acceptance of others. Neither are we compelled to achieve some self-construed standard of meaningfulness and well-being through the insidious drive to build our life upon dust blowing in the wind. Rather, God's grace replaces these empty promises by providing a new identity and economy which are both secure and eternal. Where conformity to family tradition might have been considered paramount, now conformity to God's will is deemed most important. Our primary value becomes to obediently serve the eternal God whose love endures forever.

When God becomes our Source for living, wealth is transformed from being necessary silos of security into a resource to be used in His service. Our previous fears that had driven us to greedily hoard wealth suddenly melt away into the confidence of knowing that we can serve the needs of others through what He provides (Luke 12:28-34; 2 Corinthians 9:8). No longer do we regard the depth of our portfolio as being a critical indicator of well-being. Although through our service we are gaining a heavenly portfolio (1 Timothy 6:17-19), our goal is to bring glory to our gracious God (1 Corinthians 10:31,33).

The first article in this series is: "Secular Idolatry."

Barry Newton, Copyright © 2000

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