Pastor Brian Gilroy,
High Prairie Church of the Nazarene

God is not impressed with job titles or net worth.

He is not impressed by trophies or awards. He is not impressed with your heritage or your network of contacts. He is not impressed with the power you wield, or the physical legacy of monuments named after your clan.

God does not judge you or determine your value in the same way that the world does. He is not impressed by the number of sports you excel at; the number of friends on social media; the number of employees you have, the number of properties you own. In His eyes, there is no difference between the most powerful political leader in the world and the poorest individual who exists.

You see, God cares for everyone equally. He created each of us to be uniquely awesome and yet we so often settle for the mere standards of this world. Standards that are always changing in response to the whims of society and yet so very far from the standards that God has set for each of us.

Politicians come and go; some staying around longer than others or re-inventing themselves in an attempt to hold on to a fading glory. Some look to academic achievements or office to try and impress the multitudes. Some dedicate their lives to achieve sports glory that will last or capture their life in film. Yet in the end, God is not impressed.

You see, God sees through all the outward stuff and looks at the heart. He sees the lonely, frightened child who is desperately seeking acceptance – a position of honour, or power, or respect that the world states is the way to truly succeed in life. Each one of us, regardless of our age, is that very child. Oh, we may attempt to hide it and often do in the form of bullying. We try to attain a level of power from which we can control the destinies of others while building a reputation or monument to our own existence. We hope that others will see our piety and overlook our shortcomings for as everyone knows, “No one is perfect”.

In the Bible, especially in the first four books of the New Testament called the Gospels, God reveals to us the truth about appearances. Jesus confronted the religious community of Pharisees and called them “white washed tombs” – beautiful on the outside but full of dead bones. Men who were working and expecting praise from the whole community or society and yet inwardly they were dead. Demanding that people obey and honour them but as far from God as the worst sinner that they condemned. Jesus confronted wealthy and influential people and even told parables about the rich and reminded them that their net worth was worthless without a right relationship with God.

Life’s biggest question really is, “What does God see when He looks at your heart? The secret places of your soul that no one else ever sees?”

Reality is that when you meet God, whether that is in death or if Jesus Christ returned today, what would God find. Would he find a person who is successful in the eyes of the world and yet bankrupt when it comes to his or her relationship with God, or would he find an individual who places their relationship with God as their number one priority and the success of the world as secondary.

Being in a vibrant relationship with God does not mean a vow of poverty but means that the inner frightened child no longer must work to be loved but is loved for who he or she is. Yes, the One who loves them is God, who created them to be in a loving relationship that transcends all other loves.