You are not the center of the universe

One of the books that I have always recommended to all of my employees through the years is, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. I try to read it every year. It could just as easily be entitled, “How to Win Customers and Make a Sale”, or How to Win Excellent Attitudes from Employees and Run a Successful Business”, or a variety of other titles. The book gives one an excellent perspective on human nature. Once someone understands the nature of those around them, success is much easier to find. Basic to the book is that most people are pretty much totally absorbed by themselves, and there are numerous studies that have been conducted that back up this axiom. The center of most people’s universe is themselves and in order to succeed one must understand that basic premise and utilize it in interaction with them.
In short one must find out what appeals to others and utilize it to motivate them. Find out what people want and give it to them and you will be very successful. Some people are motivated by power, others by money, prestige, doing something worthwhile, accomplishing something never done before, maximizing efficiency, etc. It is like knowing where to dig for gold. Find each person’s key and then use it to “unlock their safe” to grab your reward from them. This works great for business and other areas of life, but there is one major problem when relating it to the spiritual in our own lives. Ask most anyone what their top goal in life is and the answers generally relate to themselves.



This is contrary to the way it should be as God is the center of the universe and we are not. God is not first in most people’s lives; they are! No small wonder our lives are constantly filled with problems and trouble. What is important in life is what God wants, not what we want.
In order to succeed in life, we must first find out what God’s purpose is for us and then actively work to accomplish it. The Bible in numerous passages clearly states that we were created for a purpose.
Actually long before we were ever born, God came up with a plan and a purpose for our lives on this earth. Your DNA and mine was then carefully formulated to uniquely deliver us up to be just exactly as we are with the attributes that God wants us to have in order to accomplish His purpose. It is up to us then to use those, “one of a kind”, attributes to accomplish our purpose and deliver its benefits to God. We were created entirely for His pleasure, not vice versa. Find out what that purpose is and deliver it to God and God’s blessings will become apparent.



Salesmen analyze customers trying to find out what motivates them to buy in order to fulfill their needs. If they do a good job in determining just exactly what the customer wants, (we call it “hot buttons”), and then offer it to them on a silver platter, the sale, (and handsome commission), is theirs. Business owners and managers analyze employees trying to determine what motivates them, (their “hot buttons”), to perform their absolute best and then try to offer it up to them and the result if done properly is watching the business flourish. We should spend time analyzing what it is that God has designated as our purpose.
We have all been given skills and we should use them for God’s work.



What are your skills? Don’t say you do not have any, because you would be calling the Bible a lie. It plainly states that we “all” are given gifts that can be used to glorify God. One person may have attributes that would otherwise mortify someone else. For example, they can happily go around banging on doors of complete strangers, preach to whomever answers the door and lead them to Christ. Another might quietly write a letter and effectively touch someone for the Lord whereby it would mortify the door banging extrovert to have to quietly write a letter.
Another might bake a cake, cook a turkey, pay the electric bill, or cut the grass for someone hungry and poor. You know yourself better than anyone what you can do best. Don’t try to put a round peg in a square hole. If teaching, preaching, or leading others in prayer are not for you, then find what is right for you and do it. For heaven’s sake don’t just waste your life and accomplish nothing for the Kingdom of God. Do something for the Lord while there is yet some time left in your clock.



Find out what God wants you to do. Ask yourself, why did God put you on this earth and what gifts were you given in order to accomplish His purpose? Then use your talents to accomplish it.



1 Cor. 7:7

…But each one has his own

gift from God, one in this

manner and another in that.





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