The Reason for Everything
Romans 11:36 "For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power and everything is for His glory".
The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. God's glory is the expression of his goodness and all His other intrinsic eternal qualities. Living for God's glory is the greatest achievements we can accomplish with our lives. To bring glory to God, we need to fulfill our purpose.
How can I bring Glory to God?
1. Worship Him
Worshiping him is not confined to the small boundaries of singing hymns and praising his name in church. Rather, it encompasses the willing heart to put him at the highest place and of the circumstances is the true essence of worshipping him. It is through our owe of God that we ought to be worshiping him rather then owing it to a manner of duty. Essentially. Worship needs to come from within and from the heart.
2. Loving other believers
In church, we often critise other church-goers for the things that are not pleasing to our eyes. However, we often disregard the fact that we are often guilty of the same things. We just have yet to realise it. The same principle applies to churches critising other churches for their style of management and their approach of worshiping God. Love God, Love others. The mission of Yishun Christian Church (Anglican), my previous church, was indeed the epitome of what glorifying God ought to encompass. Support other believers. Do not question nor doubt the intent of other believers. As God has loved us, so must we unto others.
3. Becoming like Christ
Becoming like Christ is not about emulating the characteristics of Christ and then proclaiming that you are Christ. Rather, it is about spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity does not run parallel to a person's age nor the number of years spent as a Christian. Rather, it is how deep a relationship you have with God and most importantly, how much are you willing to sacrifice for God. It is this intrinsic passion for Christ that we will then truly become like Christ.
4. Serving Others with our Gifts.
What gifts has God blessed you with? We are not created in God's perfect eyes by a mere accident. Rather, we have been carefully and most beautifully crafted by God's perfect vision. Use our gifts to bless others; touch the hearts and lives of others. Use our gifts to make a difference and spread the word of God.
5. Telling others about Him.
Share the love of God. Our duty as God's watchman is to spread the word of God. Failure to do so will result in us being judged by not how many lives have you saved but rather how much more could you have saved. The feelings of uncertainty and queasiness often are a stumbling block in our paths when we want to tell others about God. This same fear transcends across our daily lives when we first meet people. Ask God to rid this innate fear and to grant you the courage to speak from your heart. Ask for a tongue that cuts through the many thick layers of disbelieve and narcissism that the other party has. Tell the world about Him.
Lifted from the Chorus of 'Tell the World' from Hillsong United in their latest 2005 album 'Look to You',
Tell the world that Jesus lives,
Tell the world that, tell the world that
Tell the world that he died for them,
Tell the world that he lives again
What am I living For?
In a word, God. Choosing a difficult path rather than an easy one is a choice in which we need to make which often requires a great deal of sacrifices. God will bless us if we would just make the right choices for him. Commit to serving him whole-heartedly and God will richly bless you. As what Dr. Prince has said, God has already blessed us and we should thus believe that God has already blessed us and we should therefore receive his blessings. Believe that God has forgive us of our sins and Receive his forgiveness. Do not forever-more live your life in hanging shame. Live your life for God!
The above is a little sharing from my interpretation of "The Reason for Everything" from Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.
