What is our great purpose on earth? Recently I watched the movie, “Hacksaw Ridge” which portrays the story of PFC Desmond T. Doss. Doss won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to bear arms. Doss was drafted in WW2 and ostracized by fellow soldiers for his pacifist stance, however he went on to earn their respect for his bravery and selflessness after he risked his life—without firing a shot—to save 75 men in the Battle of Okinawa. Despite an ambush set by Japanese soldiers, Doss deflected enemy grenades to rescue the fallen. Even when wounded by a blast, he never wavered from the objective of the U.S. Military—win the war.
We were born on a battlefield. Since our fall in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity has lived in a sin-torn world. To live in victory—we must be fully aware of our primary objective! If we are born again, we are no longer living for the shallow purpose of self-glory or self-gratification. Indeed, as members of the family of God, we’ve been given the opportunity to live a life that is far more glorious. But is winning the battle the primary purpose for which God created us? Since Adam and Eve existed in peace with God before they chose to sin and cause spiritual warfare for the human race—that purpose wouldn’t really make sense, would it?
So, what does God’s Word say about the VITAL purpose for which each human was created?
Throughout scripture, there are hundreds of verses about this important subject. Here are a few of my favorites:
1 Corinthians 10:31
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do ALL to the glory of God.“Isaiah 43:7
“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”Jeremiah 9: 23-24
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let NOT the wise man glory in his wisdom, let NOT the mighty man glory in his might, NOR let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.'”
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.‘”
WHAT? That’s it? Living for God’s glory??? What about the Great Commission of Jesus and living in obedience to God’s Word? Well—those things ARE important, but they are part of a much larger and glorious objective. Jesus already conquered our greatest enemy—eternal death. We are on HIS winning team. We must focus on our higher objective—glorifying Him in all that we do. We glorify Him because we love Him and we understand that without Him we cannot do anything. We cannot even live in obedience without the power of His Spirit! God’s Word gives us many reasons for His wisdom behind this objective. Here are a few of my favorites:
- WE cannot save anyone, because we are all sinners who have fallen SHORT of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) Only JESUS can save anyone from their death sentence of sin. Jesus said, “I am THE way, THE truth and THE life. No man comes to the Father except by me.” (John 14:6) When we share the amazing grace of our own salvation story—we are glorifying God!
- When we DON’T glorify God, we become fools and treasonous traitors of darkness. The Bible says: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did NOT glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:20-22) When we live in thankfulness to God—we glorify Him and are filled with HIS wisdom!
- When we live for God’s glory, we are able to experience a transformation and liberty like nothing we’ve ever known. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18) When we live in obedience, we are living in LIBERTY and our life glorifies God!
- Someday every person in heaven and earth will bow and give glory to Jesus; and to glorify God now is to get in on it early! “[A]t the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11) When we make God the LORD of our life now—we are in on the early prize of glorifying Him for eternity!
There are so many ways that glorifying God makes our life richer! When we know that living for God’s glory is our primary purpose then it places everything in perspective. Every circumstance—no matter how tough—is another opportunity to watch Him sort it out and —give HIM glory.
In fact, when we get to know Him even better, we want to see MORE of His glory. For this reason, Moses prayed and asked God, “Please, show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) When we are seeing God do the impossible, we long to see more of His glorious works. We can’t get enough. We just want to be part of HIS show because no one does life like HE does. There is no one we know—like God. When we are born again and begin to experience His presence, we never want to be without Him.
As I read and meditate on the following verses, it overwhelms me with joy that God has given us the great privilege of living for His glory!
Isaiah 58:8
“Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the GLORY of the Lord shall be your rear guard.”Isaiah 6:3
“And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his GLORY!'”Isaiah 60:1
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the GLORY of the Lord has risen upon you.”John 11:40
“Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you BELIEVED you would SEE the GLORY of God?'”Matthew 24:30
“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great GLORY.”Philippians 1:11
“Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the GLORY and praise of God.”Psalm 19:1
“The heavens declare the GLORY of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
My friend, no matter what circumstances you are facing today, God has a plan for you. If you are born again, you have the power and wisdom of HIS Spirit to carry you through it. He has been in the depths of your problem—He knows the way through it. Like He guided and protected the children of Israel by parting the waters ahead and protecting them with a pillar of His glory as their rear guard, He will take you through to the other side. Through it all, don’t miss the opportunity to give Him the glory for all He is doing AND all that is going RIGHT in your life!
God loves you so much—He gave ALL He had—so you can have ALL He is.
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