In the middle of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second creature like an ox, the third creature had a face like a man’s, and the fourth creature looked like an eagle flying. Each one of the four living creatures had six wings and was full of eyes all around and inside. They never rest day or night, saying:
“Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God, the All-Powerful,
Who was and who is, and who is still to come!”And whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders throw themselves to the ground before the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever, and they offer their crowns before his throne, saying:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
New English Translation
to receive glory and honor and power,
since you created all things,
and because of your will they existed and were created!” Revelation 4:6-11
One thing really stands out here: God-centered worship. I think it’s amazing that despite everything going on, the creatures, the elders, and everything else, it all keeps coming back to worshiping God! No matter how fantastic the creatures are in their own right, they still realize that they’re nothing compared to God and lay their worship before Him. I think it sets a great example for how we should live life. Rather than getting caught up in who we are and what we do and being prideful, we should acknowledge how magnificent He is!
It’s so easy to get distracted by all the things around us, whether they be good or bad, and entirely forget about God’s invitation to be in His presence and worship Him. I think sometimes we let it be a little too easy for distractions to take over everything at times. Whether it be sports, education, work, social media, or numerous other options, we have to realize that those things don’t matter at all compared to God! Though they may catch our eye like the creatures in heaven, they’re not to be worshiped as the center of our lives. Instead, they should be reminding us and pointing us back to worshiping God every single moment, especially because He is the only reason that they are even amazing!
Also, the elders in heaven did something that many of us can’t even imagine: they cast their crowns before the throne. A crown is a symbol of honor and status, yet they place it before God and humble themselves in worship. Are we willing to do the same? Are we willing to put all our accomplishments and desires on the throne before God and allow them to be a sacrifice of worship before Him?
I’m not saying that everything we do needs to be sacrificed in the sense of giving them up and never doing them again, though I won’t deny that there will be things in your life that you will have to give up. However, I am saying that we have to give up our fixation on and our worship of those things. Good and right things can easily become the god of our lives rather than the avenue through which we worship our Creator.
So, as you approach life, I want you to be brutally honest with yourself. What is the center of your life? Are you worshiping God with what you do? Or are you worshiping what you do? Are you getting distracted by the wonderful things around you that cannot compare to God? Or are you recognizing that it is because of God that those things are so beautiful?Remember, no matter how great or grand something is, you need to lay it before God as your first step into His presence.