It's Not About Me - Max Lucado [1]
DON’T NEED TO READ IT.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
On a summer day in the late nineties I ran into a friend in a hotel lobby. Our last visit had occurred a year earlier. He had a few minutes. I had an empty stomach. So we bought deli sandwiches, found a table, and took a seat.“What has God been teaching you this year?” My question was expectation-free. But his answer gave me more than a sandwich to chew on.
“What has he been teaching me this year?” he reflected. “He’s been teaching me that: It’s not about me.”
The phrase stirred enough reflections to become a series of messages and, eventually, this book. So it’s only right for me to pause and salute Sealy Yates. Thanks for sharing the line. More important, thanks for modeling it.
Sealy is not the only one who made this work possible. Here are some others:
Liz Heaney and Karen Hill—You so skillfully and gently recraft, clarify. Thanks to you, this book, and the one who wrote it, are in better shape.
Steve and Cheryl Green—Thanks for superintending my life and being our friends.Your comradeship means more to me than I can say.
Byron Williamson, Joey Paul, and the entire Integrity team—Congratulations on the launch. Honored to be aboard.
My Peak of the Week family—You let me guinea pig this material on you. How kind you were to stay awake.
Carol Bartley—No one does it better.Your penchant for grammatical precision astounds us all.
Dwight Edwards—Revolution Within connected the dots for me.
John Piper—Reading The Supremacy of God in Preaching was like seeing a map of the solar system for the first time. Thanks for reminding me of my place.
Dean Merrill—Thanks for graciously squaring the facts.
Rick Atchley—Thanks for the great messages, for being a great friend.
Charles Prince—Thanks for untangling theological knots and sharing a lifetime of knowledge.
Jenna, Andrea, and Sara—my daughters, my treasures.
Denalyn, my wife—Vienna had Mozart. I have you.What music you bring into my life.
And most of all to you, Author of life.What a great God you are. It’s all about you. Period.
But all of us who are Christians ...
reflect like mirrors the glory of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18 PHILLIPS
FOREWORD
NBA championship teams have something in common: they play with one goal in mind. Each player contributes his own gifts and efforts so that the greater goal—winning—can be reached. But players who seek their own glory at the sacrifice of the team’s glory drive the team away from success. So it is with life.The goal is not our own glory. In fact, trying to make life “all about us” pushes happiness further out of reach.
Our society is not wired for this kind of thinking. It’s a “me-centric” world out there, which destroys much of what should be good. Marriages are ruined because one or both partners are focused on their own happiness. Successful men and women are ruined by their own success, believing they don’t need anyone else’s input. And for some, life’s troubles are magnified because they believe life is all about them.
The Bible is full of men and women who struggled with “me-centric” thinking, so our generation is not alone. If we would learn from them, we could live in freedom. We would be able to enjoy our successes without taking the credit, like King David.We could bear up under troubles with confidence in God, like Job. By letting go of our own agendas and time-tables, as Moses finally did, we would discover that God’s plans are mind-blowing. In the end, a “God-centric” lifestyle would free us to live life to the fullest!
My friend Max Lucado has years of experience in following God, which is why I am happy to recommend this book. If you want a great meal, I’ll send you to a great chef. But if you want to learn about God’s ways, I’ll send you to someone who has walked with him for a long while.
Max is such a man; the Lord has prepared him for just this purpose. I encourage you to read with an open heart as Max shares the joy of a God-centered life.
May God free us all from “me-centric” living. All the glory is His!
—David Robinson