– Scripture:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

Romans 12:1–3 MSG

– Reflection:

Update Your Gauges

Respect, status, wealth, and favor are all things that many men seek in life. It’s important to remember that measuring yourself against another person isn’t necessary because God is the true measuring tool. People in the entertainment industry, whether in movies or music, are flawed just like the rest of us. By trying to compare yourself to them while overlooking their flaws, you miss the better guidance that comes from what is in your heart.

We should stop thinking that being “square” or conventional is a negative thing; God loves squares and promotes them frequently. The glitz, glamour, and flashing lights can lure you into a life filled with sin, problems, and regret. As someone who identifies as a square, I ask: why put yourself through that?

If you do things God’s way, the money will be there and endure longer. I promise you that it will. The respect you seek will last if you honor the work God has placed before you and walk accordingly. Take a moment to evaluate your measuring tools and ensure they are the right ones.

Where do we go from here?

Moving forward, we need to rethink our measures of success. True value comes from being respected for who you are and your purpose, not merely because of a record label or a movie poster. It’s crucial to spend quality time with your family and create meaningful spaces for connection, as this is a far more valuable gauge of success than being away from them and letting the outside world influence them. Let’s discard these misleading metrics and learn to measure our worth in a healthier way.

Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank you for waking us today and allowing us to reflect on the work you have set for us through your Son. He is the way for us to follow, and measuring ourselves against anything else is just idolatry. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.