On Life Support

 

Before a surgeon operates, he performs countless rigorous tests.  He makes observations based upon the results of those tests.  He then draws conclusions and determines a course of action to help bring about the necessary change.  While we will not be quite so scientific in this book in dealing with our own spiritual condition, we will ask ourselves questions, observe the results, draw conclusions, and prescribe a course of treatment.

 

To begin with, not counting the people who you only know of or only know at a surface level depth, ask yourself this question, “How many Christians do I actually know well, whom I sincerely admire and respect their faith, their hearts, and their lives?”  Do not consider the people you know only in passing, or the ones who you think might have it all together but you can’t be sure, because you don’t really know them.  Now let me guess, it is probably very difficult for you to come up with more than a name or two, or at the most three or four, with which you can honestly answer that question.  So the conclusion we must draw from that experiment is that we do not know many people whom we have a deep, sincere respect for as Christians, if anyone.  So the course of action we choose to pursue must certainly look different than the course of action that the Christians whom we know are pursuing, or else, we shall become what they are.  If we want to become all that God has for us, then this outcome simply will not do.

 

Second, realizing that God does not expect you to live a perfect Christian life, ask yourself this question, “Can I say that I am honestly growing in my Christian life, and developing maturity in my faith as a believer, on a consistent, ongoing basis, and that I believe that God is pleased and honored by how I live my life as His child?”  Unless you answer an outright “Yes,” to that question, then you must again draw the conclusion that something needs to change if you are to become the person that God desires you to be.  There was a show on television where they pretend to steal a car and totally redo the car from the inside out.  It was called “Overhaulin.”  If your course of action has not worked, then your life needs an “overhaulin!”

 

Where Do We Start?

 

Some years ago, my family was building a house in the mountains of Colorado.  The twist was that our elevation was 9300 feet above sea level, and that we began in early March.  If you know ski country, you know that there is an abundance of snow on the ground during early March in the Rockies.

 

We began by scraping all of the snow off the lot, several feet to be exact.  We then began to dig down through eight feet of rock, dirt, and clay so we could get to where the foundation would sit.  Before we could pour the foundation, we had to dig 18 eight foot holes for caissons; concrete pillars on which the foundation would rest.  That was a lot of trouble just to get ready to start going up with the house, but when building something important, it's smart to do it right the first time, even if it means that the process is difficult.  And it usually is.

 

The Christian life is very similar in many regards.  Most of the time, we have some scar tissue or old wounds that need to be cleared up before we can start going into the deeper areas of our lives.  Once that is removed, we need to dig through some of our beliefs and practices to see if they are beneficial, practical, relevant, and biblical.  We have our own excavation of the soul that must be accomplished before we can begin the building process.  Sometimes the excavation process can take weeks or months, maybe even longer.  That is not the subject of this book and the reader may need to look elsewhere for solutions that require emotional or psychological help, or even spiritual counseling.  Sometimes, there is very little “dirt work” that needs to be done before one is ready to start pouring the foundation.

 

“Who Am I?”

 

A very natural place for us to begin this building process is to ask the question, “Who am I?”  This certainly is one of the most basic questions of life and so relevant, that people all over the world and involved in all types of religious belief systems, ask of themselves.  This is a question that one person might could answer in a mere sentence, while it might take another person volumes to answer appropriately.  With regards as to how this question relates to the topic of this work, and since this question is not the key question this work deals with, it shall suffice to answer this question with three simple responses:

 

1) You are a creation of God!  We have already seen from Genesis 1 how God spoke mankind into existence.  You were a part of that creation even though you would not make your appearance until thousands of years later.  Looking at it from God’s point of view, you came on the scene only minutes after the account in Genesis 1.  Remember that if we are to change our character and behavior, that we must change our values and our point of view.  This, then, is a good and healthy place to start.

 

The bible says when speaking of mankind, “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”  Not only does the verse say that you are a creation of God, but also that you are a highly esteemed creation of God.  He thought so much of you, His creation, that when He finished creating you, He crowned you with glory and honor.  You are special!  You are valuable!  God delights in you!  This isn’t Grandma kissing your forehead.  This is the Creator rejoicing in His work - YOU!

 

Psalm 139 describes the intricate detail with which God fashioned mankind.  He did not simply gather spare parts as one gathers parts from a junkyard to repair a worn out old clunker of a car.  No!  He took great pains to put you together, piece by piece.  You are “fearfully and wonderfully made” as only God can create a masterpiece.  You were “woven together” as a skillful weaver of baskets manipulates the vines so that they fit together perfectly.

 

“CHRISTIE’S” is an auction house that specializes in selling various types of goods; usually high priced goods.  In 1990, they auctioned off a painting by the famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gough, called the “Portrait of Dr. Gachet.”  Van Gough painted the work during June 1890, near the end of his life, 100 years before the auction.  The painting shows Dr. Gachet, who took care of Van Gough during Van Gough’s last few months of life, sitting at a table leaning on his right arm.  It is definitely nothing spectacular to the untrained eye.  It sold for a stunning $82.5 million.  Obviously, value is in the eye of the beholder.  The reason it sold for the gargantuan price was not because it showed a man sitting at a table, but because it was a “Van Gough.”  In other words, it had value because of who its creator was.  It is the same with each of us.  We have value, not in and of ourselves necessarily, but because of who our Creator is.

 

The New Testament writers John and Paul also make mention of the fact that God and Jesus together created all that has been made.  Make no mistake about it; you are no accident brought together by the thoughtless process of nothingness.  You are an official work of art by the Master of all artists.  You are a creation of the one true God!

 

2) You are a child of God!  Again, other than Jesus Himself, it is John the disciple, and Paul the apostle that teach us the depth and reality of this truth.  John writes that to all who received Him, “He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”  Dear friend, you are born of God.  When you decided to receive Him, actually all you did was respond to His invitation to receive you.  He had already sent you the invitation, and paid the price for admission.  All you did was accept His invitation to join the family.

 

Paul writes that we have, “…received the Spirit of sonship,” or as the KJV put it, the “spirit of adoption.”  That is to say that God intentionally, willfully, and knowingly brought you into His family.  He knew full well what He was doing and more than that, He delighted in doing it.

 

Jesus also made reference to us being children of God.  He told of the father who wants to give good gifts to his son and spoke of the tenderness with which a mother hen gathers her chicks.  He taught that anyone who followed Him was a brother or sister to Him.  He communicated the depth of the father’s joy and love when his lost child returned home.

 

All are born as a creation of God, though not all recognize this truth.  However, despite what the universalists of our day would say, not all are included in God’s family.  Regardless of what the folks who preach the tolerance of all religions would have you believe, not everyone is considered a part of God’s family.  But if you have ever answered His call, if you have ever “received Him” as John writes, or if you have repented of your sins and called on the name of the Lord, as Peter preached about, then you are a child of God!

 

3) You are a co-worker with God!  You have been called to help further the Kingdom of God upon this earth.  God expects you to enlist in His army to help spread the word of God so that more people might come to know the presence of God.  Not only have you been adopted as a child of God, but you have also been drafted into His service; recruited to partner with Him in His mission to make His name known throughout the ends of the earth.  You have been given a key mission in His battle plan, and the truth is that if you do not fulfill your mission, there will be casualties because of it.

 

Luke records some of the very earliest missionary journeys of the new believers.  In chapter 10:2, Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”  The very next word in verse three is, “Go!”  Not only are you a co-worker with God, you have already been commissioned.  So many Christians think that they are waiting on God to hear what He wants them to do.  The truth is that He has already told them to “Go,” and He is waiting on them.

 

So what is the importance of being a co-worker with God?  Doesn’t that just mean that we are His servants?  No!  It means far more than that.  God has not commissioned us as slaves or servants to go into the world, but as co-workers.  He has entrusted us with an extremely valuable mission; one in which His Son took the lead role.  He now relies upon us to help this mission reach as many people as possible.  He is counting on you!  And He is waiting on you!  So GO!

 

God’s Will and God’s Purpose

 

Before we can proceed to the second and most important question of the human soul, we must pause and consider two similar, but separate ideas.  These ideas are far more than just ideas, they are principles which govern humanity, but even more importantly, they govern our everyday lives.  They are the principles of “God’s will,” and God’s purpose.”

 

Oftentimes, these are considered one and the same by most believers.  Indeed, they can be confusing, and they are similar, but they are not the same.  It is extremely important that we understand the difference between the two so that we may point our lives in the right direction. 

 

Typically when we refer to “God’s will,” we are referring to that which God wills for a particular person at a particular time.  This may change from one person to the next, or from time to time in the same person’s life.  This may be a process or a series of events that lead a person from one place to the next.  God’s will for a person includes the type of questions such as, “What college should I attend?” or “Whom should I marry?”  One might ask God in prayer, “Which job should I take?” or “Should I take the promotion that has been offered?”  The questions of which church to become involved with, how to minister to people, where to live, and what type of profession to pursue are questions that we should seek God’s guidance on, because we believe that He has a specific will for our lives.  The idea of God’s will is very much centered around the individual; that is to say, for each individual, He has a distinct will.

 

“God’s purpose” is something far more expansive than His will.  If God’s will is the picture, then God’s purpose is the photo album containing the picture.  If God’s will is the flower, then God’s purpose is the field full of many, many flowers.  His purpose far surpasses His will in every regard, because His purpose always relates back to Him, even when referring to His purpose for our lives, and His will relates to us.  His purpose is eternal.  His will, as it relates to us as individuals, is temporal because we are temporal upon this earth.  His purpose is the same from individual to individual, where His will relates specifically to the individual.

 

Early on one cold February morning, I was taking my wife to the airport.  We left Dillon, Colorado, where we lived, at 4 a.m. in order to make it to the Denver airport by 6 a.m.  No more than two miles into the trip, we saw something in the road ahead of us.  As we got closer, we thought that we could tell that it was a dog.  As we got right up on it, there was a brief second where we could actually see what was in the road.  It was a mountain lion!  One second later, we hit him with the right front bumper of our Ford Explorer.  (That was the closest our Explorer ever got to actually exploring!)  Just down the road about two hundred yards was a large herd of elk.  The mountain lion was stalking his next meal.

 

Our purpose that morning was to get to the airport.  Something just happened to be in our way.  That’s how life is.  We can know our purpose; we just will not know everything that will get in the way of us accomplishing our purpose.  There will definitely be some unexpected hazards along the way.

 

God’s purpose does not change from individual to individual, from society to society, from day to day, or from decade to decade.  His purpose does not change because He does not change.  Unlike God’s will, God’s purpose is not about the individual, but about God Himself!  Its chief end does not end in man, but in God.  It is not about decisions concerning colleges, marriages, jobs, promotions, houses, or even churches.  All of these pale in comparison to the vastness with which His purpose is concerned.  And it is God’s purpose that is the focus of mankind’s second question.  It is here where we will uncover the vastness of God’s purpose for our lives.

 

“Why Am I Here?”

 

Once we have come to some kind of understanding on the question of, “Who am I?” it is then time to gaze even more intently into the more important question that lies deep in the soul of every human being; “Why am I here?”  Each one of us feels like there must be some reason behind our existence.  At least, we desperately hope so.  If there is no reason, then there is no meaning, and if there is no meaning, then there is no purpose.  One might surmise, “If there is no purpose for my life, then what difference does Christianity make anyway?”

 

This question, “Why am I here?” will have a profound impact upon how a believer lives his life and, therefore, upon the remainder of this work, even more so than the previous question, “Who am I?”  Everything we will consider from this point on will drastically be impacted by the answer we find to this all important question.  For the Christian, his life and how he chooses to live it are, to a large part, determined by how he views his purpose in life.

 

For thousands of years, people have searched in every conceivable place to find the answer to this question.  Some turn to the stars, while others turn to the cards.  Some look to philanthropy, and some to philosophy.  Some seek the answer through riches, and some through poverty.  Some seek it in education, while others search for it in drugs.  Some look for it in community, and some in isolation.  Some look to politics, while others turn to humanitarianism.  Some look for it in nature, and some look for it in adventure.  Some seek it in palaces, and others seek it on the streets.  Some search in mansions, while others search in monasteries.  Believe it or not, some have even tried looking deep within themselves to find the purpose for which they were created.  Good luck with that!

 

When we ask ourselves the question, “Why am I here?” we typically come up with a false conclusion.  The reason we arrive at that false conclusion is because we perceive that our purpose has to do with us, and that is precisely where we go drastically off course.  Because we are wrong in our conclusion, then much of our lives is spent pursuing the wrong goals, dreams, and passions.  Because of our false understanding relating to our purpose, we build our lives around events and activities that do not fulfill the purpose for which we were made, thus we feel empty and inadequate when we evaluate the deeper issues and meaning and purpose of our lives.  Is it any wonder we do not have a fulfilled sense of purpose when we have spent a lifetime pursuing the wrong path?

 

If you were to conduct a survey of a vast number of Christians, and ask them this question, “Why are you here?” you would probably find much similarity in their answers.  Many would say that they are here to be a good person or to live a happy life.  Some would say that they are here to be a loving mother or a good husband.  Some would even say that they are here to help others along the way.  Each of these answers, as noble as they might be, miss the actual mark of the real reason why God had placed us here.

 

All of these avenues fall far short for the Christian.  The person who knows and follows Jesus Christ as Lord must take this question, as all questions, back to the bible to find out what God says about why we are here on this earth.  So let us search the Word of God to see why He has chosen to give us life and place us here on this earth.  Let us, then, let the bible call us back to the real purpose for which we have been made.  What follows is only a sampling of the bible texts that shout to our hearts and summon us to wake up, cast off the deadness of a sleeping soul, escape the dreariness of the casual Christianity that we have become so accustomed to, and engage in the pursuit of our life’s purpose to which we have been called.  For brevity’s sake, I will comment only upon the first scripture.

 

1)  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”  Genesis 1:27-28.

 

Here, in the first chapter of the bible, we find the purpose for why you and I were created.  It is not obvious, however.  It doesn’t just jump off the page at you.  You must gaze deeply into the passage.

 

Many people look to the commands of verse 28 as God’s purpose for their lives.  They are sure that God’s purpose for mankind is to “Be fruitful and increase…fill the earth…” at which, by the way, we have done a pretty good job.  Or maybe His purpose is that we “subdue it” and “rule over” all living creatures.  That too, we seem to have accomplished to some degree, although the environmentalists would argue with us as to the quality of how well we have accomplished that command.  But none of these are God’s actual purpose for mankind.

 

God’s purpose for creating mankind, for creating you, lies in the statement, “So God created them in his own image…”  We are created in the very image of God and there you have it!  The purpose of God for our lives is that we would REFLECT HIS IMAGE, to glorify the Creator, to bring honor to the Father.  He created us in His image because it is His image alone that is worth calling attention to; that is worth reflecting, that is worth bringing glory to; that is worth bringing honor to. His image, ALONE!

 

God desired to share Himself, but realized that those whom He created could quickly ruin the whole thing if they were not given something valuable, unique, and powerful.  True, we did a good job of messing things up anyway, but what could it have been like if we had not been blessed with the very image of God?  Yikes!

 

There is really nothing about man that merits us drawing attention to ourselves.  We would like to think that we are quite amazing, but what is truly amazing is the lack of credit and glory that mankind actually gives to God.  We believe that we are the ones who have made the airplanes fly, sent space shuttles to Mars and beyond, invented wireless internet, and found the cures to some of the diseases which plague our world.  All of this we have done without so much as even a wink in God’s direction.  What might we have accomplished if we had sought Him with open eyes and broken hearts?

 

God’s ultimate, and only, purpose in creating mankind was that we would make much of Him in all that we are and all that we do; that we would reflect the goodness and love of He who made us in all of our thoughts and actions.  His desire, above everything else, is that our lives bring Him the glory and honor that He deserves.

 

Someone might ask, “Doesn’t that make God a selfish god if all He wants is for us to glorify Him?”  The answer to that question is a resounding “No.”  The reason He wants us to glorify Him is because He has made us in such a way, that only as we abide in Him are we fully alive.  Only in God do we really become all that He has intended for us to become.  Only in Him can we achieve the maximum potential of our humanness for the good.  Only in our Father can we enjoy life as He intends, without pretense and without selfishness.  Only in Him can we manifest the glory of the Creator.  Only in Him, can we truly “become ourselves.”

 

John Piper writes, “that the exhibition of God’s glory and the deepest joy of human souls are one thing.”  That is to say, that God has formed us in such a way that we are at the peak of our joy when He is at the center of our lives.  Could it possibly be said that believers who live shallow, empty lives do so because God is not at the center of their lives?  Typically, when God is at the center of the Christian’s life, that Christian will acknowledge that his joy is abundant, despite what circumstances may be present in his life.  God is glorified when we delight in Him and we delight in Him when we genuinely realize that He has made us for His glory.  It is a repetitive circle that continues once it has been set in motion.  We delight in Him.  He delights in us.  

 

It is only in this love affair that we achieve the authenticity and the wholeness that our hearts crave.  The deepest yearnings in our hearts are for meaning and purpose.  Those yearnings are satisfied as we find our place in Him.  As we discover that to know Him is to know life, we rejoice, and God is glorified.  Every other joy in life is but a shadow of the joy that we will find when we discover that our one and only purpose in life is to honor Him.

 

I stated previously that most Christians consider this question, “Why am I here?” to be a “doing”question, but is it really?  It is logical to think of the question, “Who am I?” as a “being” question and so we naturally conclude that this second major question, that each of us face, must be a “doing” question.  But I would argue that that simply is not the case.  We think of it in those terms because we are more comfortable when we think of “doing” instead of “being.”  This issue of “being” is a very personal thing and most of us are not fully comfortable in discussing it, probably because we are not sure exactly what it means.  To speak of “doing” is to speak of activities, function, occupation, and endeavors.  But that is not the case when one speaks of “being.”  When speaking of “being,” one must speak about issues of the heart.  One cannot stand behind the veil of activity or vocation.  One must lay aside the veil to allow the heart to be laid bare, when speaking of “being.”  Is it any wonder that women are typically better than men when it comes to this?  Most men get their feelings of worth from what they do, not from who they are.  So I propose that the question, “Why am I here?” also relates primarily to “being.”  The reasons why will be addressed later in the chapter.

 

Concerning the commands of Genesis 1:28, “Be fruitful”, “fill the earth”, and “rule over”, these commands relate to God’s will for our lives, not His purpose.  They are indeed, roles that God has ordained that we are to fulfill.  They are ways that we can fulfill His purpose in our lives, but they are not the purpose itself.  We glorify God by being fruitful, by filling the earth, and by ruling over it.  God’s will is a way whereby we may fulfill His purpose.  His purpose is not to fulfill His will, but His will is to fulfill His purpose.

 

As Rick Warren says, “The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind or even your happiness.  It’s far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.”  When we think of our purpose, we think of ourselves.  That is where we get off track.  Our purpose is about Him; not about us.

 

When we say that we are to be a good wife or a godly husband, or we are to go to college or to marry this person or that one, we are stating ways that we can carry out the will of God in our lives, and thereby, hopefully fulfill God’s purpose for our lives; bringing honor to Him.  We are diligent at work because it glorifies God.  We are honest on our taxes because it brings Him honor.  We strive to be a good spouse because we seek to glorify our Father.  We seek good for others because we seek to reflect the divine image.  We carry out His will so that His purpose will be fulfilled in our lives.  We were created to bring glory and honor to the Creator, our Heavenly Father.

 

As one reads through the bible, he will find over and over again what we have just called attention to; that God created us to call attention to Himself and His goodness.  Let’s look at just some of the many passages calling us to live lives that bring glory and honor to God (I have underlined certain words to further emphasize what we are called to.  This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it should be sufficient to convey, without any doubt, the purpose to which we are called.):

 

2)  “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them.  But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”  Exodus 14:4

 

3)  “Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke when he said: “Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.”’  Aaron remained silent.”  Leviticus 10:3

 

4)  “…Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.”  1 Samuel 2:30

 

5)  “For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.”  1 Samuel 12:22

 

6)  “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!  You have set your glory above the heavens.”  Psalm 8:1

 

7)  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”

Psalm 19:1

 

8)  “…he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Psalm 23:3

 

9)  “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the

earth.”  Ps. 46:10

 

10)  “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”  Psalm 57:5

 

11)  “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.”  Psalm 63:3

 

12)  “Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known.”  Psalm 106:8

 

13)  “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’”  Isaiah 6:3

 

14)  “…Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth – everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”  Isaiah 43:6-7

 

15)  “Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever.  They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.”  Isaiah 60:21

 

16)  “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.  I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting, men may know there is none besides me.  I am the Lord, and there is no other.”

Isaiah 45:5-6

 

17)  “For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this.  How can I let myself be defamed?  I will not yield my glory to another.”  Isaiah 48:11

 

18)  “‘…so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor.  But they have not listened.’”

Jeremiah 13:11

 

19)“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone.  I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations...”’”  Ezekiel 36:22-23a

 

20)  “’A son honors his father, and a servant his master.  If I am a father, where is the honor due me?’”  Malachi 1:6

 

21) “‘My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun.  In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations,’ says the Lord Almighty.”  Malachi 1:11

 

22)  “‘For I am a great king,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and my name is to be feared among the nations.’”  Malachi 1:14

 

23)  “’If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings.  Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.’”  Malachi 2:2

 

24)  Levi, “revered me and stood in awe of my name.”  Malachi 2:5

 

25)  “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

 

26) “The is how you should pray, ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”  Matthew 6:9-10

 

27)  “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”  Matthew 25:31

 

28)  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:14

 

29)  “No one has ever seen God, but God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”  John 1:18

 

30)  “…but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.  I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.”  John 8:49-50

 

31)  Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say?  ‘Father, save me from this hour’?  No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”  John 12:27-28

 

32)  “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”  John 15:8

 

33)  “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”  John 17:4

 

34)  “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.”  John 17:24

 

35)  “For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.”  Acts 13:36

 

36)  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, and who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28

 

37)  “For the scripture says to Pharaoh; ‘I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’”  Romans 9:17

 

38)  “What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory –”  Romans 9:23

 

39)  “For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever.  Amen.”  Romans 11:36

 

40)  “…so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy…”  Romans 15:9

 

41)  “…you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body.”  1 Corinthians 6:20

 

42)  “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

1 Corinthians 10:31

 

43)  “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory…”  2 Corinthians 3:18

 

44)  “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”  2 Corinthians 4:15

 

45)  “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”  Ephesians 1:11-12

 

46)  “To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen.”  Ephesians 3:21

 

47)  “…so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”  Philippians 1:10-11

 

48)  “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”  Philippians 1:20

 

49)  “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:10-11

 

50)  “…all things were created by him and for him.”  Colossians 1:16

 

51)  “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Colossians 3:17

 

52)  “They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed…”  2 Thessalonians 1:9-10

 

53) “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:12

 

54)  “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”  1 Timothy 1:17

 

55)  “…God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see.  To him be honor and might forever.  Amen.”  1 Timothy 6:15-16

 

56)  “…by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.”  2 Timothy 1:8-9

 

57) “Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” Titus 2: 9-10

 

58)  “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…”  Hebrews 1:3

 

59)  “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging  to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”  1 Peter 2:9

 

60)  “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God.  If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.  To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen.”  1 Peter 4:11

 

61)  “I write unto you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.”  1 John 2:12

 

62)  “To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power, and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”  Jude 25

 

63)  “Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever.  They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’”  Revelation 4:9-10

 

There are at least three conclusions that we absolutely must draw from the previous sixty plus passages of scripture: First, God is extremely passionate about His glory.  It is of the utmost importance to Him.  Exodus 34:14 tells us that, “the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”  God is severely jealous when it comes to His glory.  He will share it with no one.  No one can take it from Him, and no one can add to it.  No one can live without it and, like Moses, no one can stand to fully look at it.  He longs for all people to know of, experience, and delight in, His glory.  He fully understands that there is unquestionably and unequivocally nothing that compares to His glory.  He longs for us to come to that conclusion as well.

 

Second, you were created to glorify your Creator.  God is passionate about His glory because He knows that He alone is worthy of such glory.  But there is another reason why He so desperately desires that we come to experience His glory first hand; because He knows that it is our pathway to the life that He has called us to and wants to share with us.  Since Adam and Eve took that first step of disobedience, man has been, as the old country song says, “looking for love in all the wrong places.”  The very simple truth is that we, like Adam and Eve, have been deceived into believing that God is holding out on us; that there is something out there that is better than what the King of Glory has for us.  And so we spend our lives looking behind every bush, under every rock, and around every corner, to find the new thrill that we hope will satisfy our desperate, aching souls.  All the while, the Father waits and watches for His prodigal child to return to his senses.

 

However, God knows that what we are looking for is found only in Him.  He wants us to know and experience His glory because it is His glory that is the ultimate, eternal thrill which our souls crave.  He has designed us in such a way, that only as we find our meaning and purpose in Him, will we ever be truly satisfied.  It is His love for us that prompts His desire for us to find completion in His glory.  Because He yearns for our good, He directs our hearts to search for that which is ultimately good; namely Himself.  That is why He inclined the Psalmist to write, “In thy presence is fullness of joy.”  Until we find that He alone is all that we are looking for, we will forever live dissatisfied, empty lives.  Unless we, like the man who found a treasure hidden in a field who “in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field,” or like the merchant looking for fine pearls, “when he had found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it,” unless we too give up everything we have, our materialism, our quests for power and fame, our shallow pursuits for pleasure, and especially our morbid infatuation with ourselves, so that we might find, dwell in, and yes, bask in the glory of the King, we too shall go away echoing the words of the disgruntled teacher, “Meaningless!  Meaningless! … Everything is meaningless,”  That is why He calls us to experience His presence in a powerful, refreshing, and life changing way.  Again, He knows that we are destined for hopelessness, unless we find our hope in living for His glory, because it is God and His glory that are the only things genuinely worth living for.

 

Third, God has called you to help Him extend His glory throughout the earth.  It is an amazing fact that the God who created the heavens and the earth calls us as individuals to help Him spread the good news about Him and His glory.  He desires and deserves for His glory to be spread throughout all of creation.  His purpose and mission, in creating you and me, are that we would join Him in His passionate endeavor to spread His glory.  He calls us, not to make much of who we are, but to make much of whom He is, not to honor ourselves, but to honor Him, not to delight in ourselves, but to delight in Him, because it is He alone who really is the ultimate Gift to all humanity.  Not only does He call us to know Him, but He calls us to “taste and see” that He is indeed, very good.  He calls us to follow Him, to walk with Him, to desire Him, to love Him, to obey Him, to honor Him, to exalt Him, and to make Him known.  He knows that only as we do these things will we ever be able to beat down the call of this world upon our hearts, to hear the One who calls us through that still small voice, and to find the strength to diligently pursue Him over all the distractions of our culture and over all the selfish desires of our heart that challenge our love for Him.  Only as we do this, will we find the life that He calls us to and become the people that He calls us to become.  As we find this life, and as we become these people, we will bring Him glory, honor, and praise, and His name will be known throughout our sphere of influence.  This, and this alone, is His purpose for our lives.  As we strive to fulfill this purpose, and only this purpose, God will be glorified!

 

So, back to the question, “Why am I here?”  You are here to honor God with your life, not as much by what you do, though that certainly can be a part of it.  You are here to honor God by whom you are.  This is the reason that the second question, like the first, is also a “being” question.  If you are not honorable to your Maker, your works could never honor Him.  If you are honorable to Him, it will be natural that your works will honor Him.  Again, our doing flows out of our being.  The teacher of the law came to ask Jesus, “Out of all the commandments, which is the most important?”  In other words, “Why am I here?”  Jesus told him to love God with all that he was, and then to love his neighbor.  Our works flow out of our relationship with the Father.  We love others, only after we have loved Him.  If we try to reverse the process, we live in the continual frustration of powerlessness with no results.  When we follow the method outlined by Christ, we live in the presence of power and in a life of genuine authority.  You, my friend, are called to be the person God foresaw when He created you; when He chose you; when He called you.  Your works will follow you.

 

If you saw the movie, “The Chronicles of Narnia,” you have to love the final battle scenes as the two sides prepare to war.  Upon learning of Aslan’s death, Edmund, Peter’s redeemed traitor brother, thrusts Peter into the role of leadership in Aslan’s absence.  Peter responds, “I can’t” to which Edmund replies, “Aslan believed you could!”  Peter then makes the decision to lead his troops into war against the White Witch, Jadis, who has captured a part of Narnia and turned it into an eternal winter.

 

As the two sides line up for battle, Peter is informed that their opposition is coming “in numbers and weapons far greater than our own.”  Peter looks back to his brother Edmund, who gives him an encouraging nod of confidence.  Peter, sitting upon his huge white unicorn, draws his sword and raises it overhead toward the approaching army.  The camera shifts to the White Witch, moving forward in her silver chariot, pulled by two polar bear type creatures, who says, “I have no interest in prisoners.  Kill them all.”   The camera pans the faces of Peter’s outnumbered soldiers which show their concern.  Peter asks his companion, “Are you with me?” to which the reply comes, “To the death!”

 

At the top of his voice, Peter then shouts these words to his warriors, “For Narnia and for Aslan!”  His unicorn rears back upon his two hind feet and then lunges forward, leading the fight against the forces of evil that have taken over a part of the kingdom.  Temporarily.

 

Child of God, you may feel abandoned, outnumbered, defeated, and overwhelmed.  You may feel like you are facing insurmountable odds.  It is then that you must amass all the strength and courage that God has built down deep into your heart, raise your sword of the spirit, and declare, “For the kingdom and for my God!” and storm the gates of hell that have stolen your vision and disguised your purpose.  It is then that you have to fight to take back what was stolen; to resurrect what you once thought had died.  Your vision of doing something eternal for the kingdom of God still lives deep inside of you.  It’s not too late to change the course of your life.  You may have replaced it with other things, temporarily, but it still lives.  Your purpose in life to bring glory, honor, and praise still beats with an eternal heartbeat, beneath the doubt and discouragement that the enemy sometimes throws our way.  Cast aside the doubt and the lies that prosper in the darkness.  Pursue the faith and the freedom that emanate from the light.  Reach down deep.  Live from your heart.  Fight from your strength, and determine to fulfill the purpose for which you were created.  Resolve that you will fulfill the purpose for which you were created!  God waits to be glorified in you...

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