Life's True Purpose

 

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. Romans 11:36

James held the nail steady and picked up a screwdriver. With the handle, he began to pound. Harder and harder he pounded on the stubborn nail head, but it barely moved. Sweat broke out on his forehead and a blister on his hand before he finally sat back on his heels and hurled the screwdriver into the trashcan. “Stupid tool! What’s the matter with it? I give up.”

There was nothing wrong with the screwdriver. James was trying to use it in a way it was not designed to be used. We often do that with our lives. When we insist upon a path for which we were not designed, we make the same mistake that James made. We compare ourselves to the ungodly and decide that’s the life we want. We compromise God’s standards and assume that He doesn’t mind. When we do that, we are chasing Satan’s suggestions like a child chases soap bubbles. Even when we catch them, they never quite satisfy. After years of this, some hurl their lives into the trashcan and give up. OR, we meet Jesus. In His Instruction Manual, we discover that we were trying to be something we were never designed to be. We understand that we were designed to love and serve God. 

True service is not a list of do’s and don’ts tacked to a chart of endless expectations. The kind of service God desires is that which flows naturally from a grateful heart that has been shown its true purpose. 

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How Do We Honor God?

 

Honor is universal in the human experience. In every society, people honor certain members for culturally-determined reasons. From medals to dinners to public acclaim, we honor those we deem worthy of ultimate respect. But how do we honor God?

Revelation 4:10–11 describes a scene in heaven: “The twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and . . . lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.’” The words translated “glory” and “honor” are closely related and often used interchangeably in the Bible. But there is a subtle difference between them. The word most often translated “glory” means “something that has inherent, intrinsic worth” while the word translated “honor” means “perceived value; to render or esteem glorious.”

Glory is a quality inherent in the one being glorified. Glory can be thought of as a mirror that accurately reflects what is there. When we accurately reflect the character of God, we glorify Him. To glorify God is to honor Him for who He really is. God has glory because He is infinitely valuable. Human beings have glory because we are created in the image of the One who is all-glorious (Genesis 1:27). We glorify God when we demonstrate through word or action His glorious character or deeds. Modeling the character of Jesus is a way to glorify God, because we are showcasing His attributes. When we glorify God, we bring Him honor.

Honor originates in our hearts and refers to the value we personally place on something or someone. Collectors hold certain items in higher esteem than non-collectors do. What others overlook may be highly valued by someone else and therefore honored. We honor other people to the degree that we consider their position and contributions significant. We are commanded to honor people because of their position, not their performance. We are commanded to honor our fathers and mothers (Deuteronomy 5:16; Mark 7:10), the elderly (Leviticus 19:32), and those who rule over us (1 Peter 2:17). When we honor God, we are demonstrating the high regard we have for Him. We are reflecting His glory back as praise and worship.

The Bible shows many ways to honor and glorify God. We show Him high regard and reflect His character by being sexually pure (1 Corinthians 6:18–20), by giving of our income (Proverbs 3:9), and by living lives devoted to Him (Romans 14:8). It is not enough to merely honor Him outwardly. God desires honor that comes from our hearts. “The Lord says, ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me’” (Isaiah 29:13). When we delight in the Lord (Psalm 37:4), seek Him in everything we do (1 Chronicles 16:11; Isaiah 55:6), and make choices that reflect the place He has in our hearts, we bring Him the greatest honor.

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My baby girl, Susie, is in Europe for a month with our friend, Ruth Lovin, a talented photographer who took this shot on the northern coast of Ireland. They are working with a mission organization, Operation Mobilization, taking photos for publicity materials and recording video documentaries to promote the work OM has all over the world.

Ruth's caption on this photo reminded me of something. Everywhere we look, nature displays the glory of God. The skies are filled with color, the forests with sounds and scents. The animal kingdom exemplifies God's creativity and proves that He is the only giver of life.

Just as the sky is filled with God's glory, the earth is filled with His story, as His people scatter over every nation, tribe, and tongue proclaiming it.

He paints the sky with color and expects those who've sampled his palette to bring beauty and color to the lives of those who've known only darkness.

He infuses creativity into every object of nature. He has passed some of that creativity on to us and expects us to use those creative skills to echo His truth.

Are you using all He's given you for His glory?

Is some of His brilliance hidden away in some dark closet of your soul
because you are afraid of failure?
Of rejection?
Of what others will think?

Take another long look at this photo. Is some of that beauty tucked away in your arsenal of unused skills? Is it fair to deny access to the God who gave it to you?

Take it out today. Dust it off.

Is His glory filling your world?
Are you using what He gave you to spread His glory to others?
No?
This would be a great day to start.