Episode Details

Money, success, romance, celebrities, your kid's team, your golf game — deep down, we're all worshiping something. In Part 7 of our "Made for Something" series, Pastor Mike Woodruff explains why that restlessness in your soul isn't a problem to fix with more effort — it's evidence of what you were actually made for.

Mike points out that our culture's obsession with celebrities and athletes is really an attempt to borrow meaning from something bigger than ourselves — and it never quite works, because we're worshiping the wrong object. He turns to Augustine's famous prayer from Confessions — "You made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you" — and pairs it with C.S. Lewis's argument that our deepest longings point to a real satisfaction, the same way hunger implies food and thirst implies water. Loving God "with all your soul," Mike explains, means giving him the throne — first place — in your life. He closes with a simple but piercing diagnostic: what does your mind go to when it's free? What would you sacrifice for without being asked? What loss would undo you? Whatever sits in that spot is functionally your god — and if it's anything other than God himself, it will drain you rather than sustain you.

This is Part 7 of our multi-week series unpacking the Greatest Commandment, one piece at a time.

📖 Scripture focus: Psalm 42:1–2; Matthew 22:37 ("love the Lord your God with all your soul")
🎙️ Speaker: Pastor Mike Woodruff
📅 "Made for Something" Devotional Series — a multi-week journey into purpose and calling

In this devotional you'll learn:

• Why our culture's obsession with celebrities and athletes is really misdirected worship
• Augustine's famous prayer from Confessions on the restless human heart
• C.S. Lewis's argument that unsatisfied longing points to a real satisfaction beyond this life
• What it means to love God "with all your soul" — giving him first place, the throne
• A simple self-diagnostic to discover what's actually sitting on the throne of your life
• Why the answer to restlessness isn't wanting less, but redirecting your wanting toward God

👉 New to our devotionals? We post short, daily devotionals designed to help you start your day grounded in Scripture. "Made for Something" is a multi-week series exploring purpose, calling, and what it means to be made on purpose, for a purpose.

Frequently asked:
Why do I feel restless even when life is going well? Augustine described this as the human heart being "restless until it finds its rest" in God — the idea that we were created with a longing only a relationship with God can ultimately satisfy, so other pursuits leave us wanting more no matter how successful they are.
What does it mean to love God "with all your soul"? It means giving God first place — the throne — in your life, so that your deepest longings are directed toward him rather than toward things too small to satisfy them, like money, status, or achievement.
How can I tell what I'm really worshiping? Mike suggests asking what your mind drifts to when it's free, what you'd sacrifice for without being asked, and what loss would undo you — whatever occupies that place functions as your god, whether or not you'd call it that.

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