What Are You Gripped By?

"People that make a difference in the world are not people who have mastered a lot of things. They are people who have been mastered by a very few things, that are very, very great." ~John Piper

I love listening to this 1998 sermon by John Piper in which he delivers this quote. I listen to it before every football game. It gets me pumped up to live a life passionately following Jesus. It always makes me ask the questions, "What am I gripped by? What am I mastered by?" As Piper points out, the greatest thing we can be mastered or gripped by is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It's what we were made for.

There are a million things that compete for our hearts affections. Every second of everyday they pry us away, promising a false sense of satisfaction, joy and rest. I see in my own life how easily my heart is gripped by things other than Christ.

I need to be reminded of the ultimate glory that we were made for as humans. We were made for the glory of God. My prayer is that my life vividly shows that I am gripped solely by Jesus Christ. He is my life. He is my only boast. My life doesn't count for anything, if only I can finish my course and display the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:24).

When it's all said and done, it won't matter how much you have or know. What will matter is whose you are. What will matter is what you spent your life gripped by.