Sunday, May 02, 2004
40 Days of Purpose Day 7
The Reason for Everything
It's all for God. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the Glory of God. I've often written about how I see God, in the beauty of the world around me, the wonder of how everything is fit together in nature perfectly (even mosquitos, as God doesn't make mistakes!) God made everything, seen and unseen, you and me, past and present for His glory. Without the glory of God, there would be nothing, absolutely nothing.
What is the glory of God? "The essence of His nature, the weight of His importance, the radience of His splendor, the demonstration of His power and the atmosphere of His presence," writes Rick Warren. The Glory of God is the expression of all that God is. And it doesn't take but a glance through opened eyes to see his glory. Everything created by God reflects His glory and His master design, from the smallest microscopic plants to the distant planets in the Universe. His design sets the perfect gravity for the earth, the seasons so we can grow food, the abundant water so we can refresh our bodies, made mostly of water. Sunsets and storms, babies and forests, mountains and seas, it is all God's glory. Warren writes, "In nature we learn that God is powerful, that He enjoys variety, loves beauty, is organized and is wise and creative."
The glory of God is best seen in Jesus Christ. He, the Light of the world, illuminates God's nature. When we know Jesus, we know what God is really like. The Bible, in Hebrews 1:3, says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory." Now, how can we bring glory to God?
Jesus in His time on earth gave glory to God by fulfilling His purpose on earth. We honor God the same way. When anything in creation completes its purpose, it brings glory to God. For example, Rick Warren says, "Birds bring glory to God by flying, chirping, nesting and doing other bird-like activities that God intended." Everything in nature brings glory to God by fulfilling the purposes God set for them, and they are all connected.
We can bring glory to God in many ways; The Purpose Driven Life summarizes five purposes for your life, and that is what we wil be looking at in detail over the next 33 days. They are:
What will you live for? Living a purpose-driven life in Christ that glorifies God requires change, in your relationships, your priorities, your schedule and everything else. It will sometimes mean choosing a difficult path instead of an easy one. Even Jesus struggled with this; knowing He was about to be crucified, he cried out: "My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify thy name." John 12: 27-28.
It's time for a decision - who are you going to live for; yourself or God? You might think that it would take too much to decide, whether you will have the strength to follow Him. God will give you all you need when you make the decision to follow Him. God made you to fulfill His purposes, you are not an accident! The real life begins when you commit yourself completely to Christ! If you have questions, please email me!
Tomorrow: week 2 begins with purpose number 1: You were planned for God's pleasure.
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It's all for God. The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the Glory of God. I've often written about how I see God, in the beauty of the world around me, the wonder of how everything is fit together in nature perfectly (even mosquitos, as God doesn't make mistakes!) God made everything, seen and unseen, you and me, past and present for His glory. Without the glory of God, there would be nothing, absolutely nothing.
What is the glory of God? "The essence of His nature, the weight of His importance, the radience of His splendor, the demonstration of His power and the atmosphere of His presence," writes Rick Warren. The Glory of God is the expression of all that God is. And it doesn't take but a glance through opened eyes to see his glory. Everything created by God reflects His glory and His master design, from the smallest microscopic plants to the distant planets in the Universe. His design sets the perfect gravity for the earth, the seasons so we can grow food, the abundant water so we can refresh our bodies, made mostly of water. Sunsets and storms, babies and forests, mountains and seas, it is all God's glory. Warren writes, "In nature we learn that God is powerful, that He enjoys variety, loves beauty, is organized and is wise and creative."
The glory of God is best seen in Jesus Christ. He, the Light of the world, illuminates God's nature. When we know Jesus, we know what God is really like. The Bible, in Hebrews 1:3, says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory." Now, how can we bring glory to God?
Jesus in His time on earth gave glory to God by fulfilling His purpose on earth. We honor God the same way. When anything in creation completes its purpose, it brings glory to God. For example, Rick Warren says, "Birds bring glory to God by flying, chirping, nesting and doing other bird-like activities that God intended." Everything in nature brings glory to God by fulfilling the purposes God set for them, and they are all connected.
We can bring glory to God in many ways; The Purpose Driven Life summarizes five purposes for your life, and that is what we wil be looking at in detail over the next 33 days. They are:
- We bring glory to God by worshiping Him
- We bring glory to God by loving other believers
- We bring glory to God by becoming like Christ
- We bring glory to God by serving others with our gifts
- We bring glory to God by telling others about him
What will you live for? Living a purpose-driven life in Christ that glorifies God requires change, in your relationships, your priorities, your schedule and everything else. It will sometimes mean choosing a difficult path instead of an easy one. Even Jesus struggled with this; knowing He was about to be crucified, he cried out: "My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, 'Father, save Me from this hour?' But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify thy name." John 12: 27-28.
It's time for a decision - who are you going to live for; yourself or God? You might think that it would take too much to decide, whether you will have the strength to follow Him. God will give you all you need when you make the decision to follow Him. God made you to fulfill His purposes, you are not an accident! The real life begins when you commit yourself completely to Christ! If you have questions, please email me!
Tomorrow: week 2 begins with purpose number 1: You were planned for God's pleasure.
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