Luke 12:22-31
Matthew 16:24-28
Matthew 26:36-46 (esp. 39,42)

“Did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there?” – Train, “Drops of Jupiter”

We came to know that the earth orbits the sun through a revolution of thought. Before that revolution completed itself, the proponents of such preposterous thinking found themselves excommunicated, officially ostracized from the church. Copernicus and Galileo paid a hefty price for correcting the larger world’s self-centered understanding of the universe.

Looking down on that time from our scientific mountaintop, we see irony in the treatment of these men. They revealed truth, right? Why such enmity toward them?

But how much has really changed? Copernicus and Galileo merely hoped to point out that despite obvious signs, the obvious was in fact limited and a greater truth existed. Whenever someone attempts to point out a blemish in our lives, we reject the claim, slander the individual, and continue in a higher view of ourselves.

Thomas Kuhn explained the above in “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions." Paradigms do not immediately shift when confronted with contrary evidence. The problematic data challenging the established worldview usually finds itself excluded rather than considered. Do we not do the same to others when their beliefs don’t square with ours, specially this one about our centrality?

From birth, we’ve believed the world orbited around us. We would never come out and say this, yet we live as though it were true. A witness could testify to as much. As children, we were fed, clothed, bathed and cared for by others. When we cried, they came running. When we messed ourselves, they cleaned it up.

We grew shrewd in keeping others in our orbits as time passed, throwing various fits when we didn’t have our way. Still, hearing “no” in response to our desires frustrates us; we neither expect nor enjoy this reaction.

But to properly understand the universe and our place in it, we need proper perspective. The stars may appear to move around us in circles, but in fact we move while they remain stationary. So with God. We revolve around Him, despite our desires to have Him bend to our will like Aladdin’s Genie. We can rub the magic lamp and demand wishes at will.

Our desires and perspectives matter little when it comes to God’s place, and if we cannot rightly understand His place, we’ll face a great deal of frustration when life deviates from our script.
     
Around what does my life revolve?
How does Jesus understand life’s center? (Matthew 23:9; 26:39, 42; Luke 11:2; John 5:19, 30; 8:28)
Would I try to put God before myself? Why or why not?