Glorify God and enjoy him forever

It’s so easy to get hung up on the day to day, that this goal is usually washed out. The fact is that this goal should be the way I view my other tasks, my commitments. How am I spending my time? What am I doing with my money? How am I raising my children? Last year when I set up this account I made some goals, and I put this goal on the top to always remind me that I have a purpose, and it’s to live each day to bring glory to God. I’m not going to lie and say I do this well, because in fact I’m horrible about this. I’m often wrapped up with my own life, that I fail to step back and see the big picture. I can see my short comings, and I’m constantly stumbling over my failures, but I’m always trying to do things for myself, not in turn looking at each of these failures as an opportunity to see God receive the glory from my failures.
This year I’m not going to make any promises which I tend to break, this year I want to change my attitude to see how God uses me as an instrument (be it for noble or humble purposes). From the last year I’ve learned a hard lesson, God will use me If I want Him to or not, it’s just a lot easier if I submit to what He’s calling me to do.

This is probably one of the only things on 43things which none of us has accomplished, but it’s at the top of our lists. I pray that each of us one day may say that we lived our lives to the Glory of our King and not to ourselves. I recently went to see “End of the Spear”, I would highly recommend it if you haven’t yet seen the movie. The one take away from that movie was am I whiling to sacrifice my life for the Kingdom of God? I know I’m nowhere close to achieving this goal, but I need to keep it at the top of my list, and in the center of my every thought and action.

_ “He is no fool who gives what he can not keep to gain what he cannot loose” – Jim Elliot _

My house, is not my permanent residence, it’s only temporary. My car is my borrowed car (I pay the bank to borrow it), I mean I really don’t own it, it’s useful now, but isn’t really a permanent vehicle. My job which I’m currently employed is only temporary, one day I won’t have it (by choice or by situation). This place where I call home, isn’t really my permanent home, we will move, or it could be destroyed. The things which I use, things I keep, things I do, these are only things, they don’t last forever. Things rot, they fall apart, they are only useful for a short time in the reaches of history.
This is only a temporary situation: pain, suffering, lack and want, these things are temporary and will one day be gone. I know that this situation here on Earth which I’m currently living, the bills, the pain, the hard work… It’s only temporary. This body which I try to keep in good condition, I try to keep healthy and eat the right things, but this body is temporary, it will one day die, and turn to dust. But I know, that there are things which are eternal, which last forever, and those are the things I must strive to live for. Sure I would like a nice house, but is it really important in the eternal view. God Does provide what we need to live good lives, but the things which I cherish, those should be used to Glorify God, not be stored up to be corrupted, and rot. How can I reach out to the homeless guy on the street corner, and use what God has blessed me with, to in turn bless someone else?

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ”
– Matthew 25:35-40

I need to Glorify God with my stuff, because my stuff won't last forever.

John 15:1-15:8

When reading this passage I’m often reminded of my failed attempts at gardening. Though I tend to grow great tomato bushes, they don’t always produce the amount of fruit you would expect. They look great with lots of foliage, but don’t produce the fruit. I’ve been told that to produce good fruit, the plant must be pruned, and controlled. A plant growing out of control tends to grow the foliage over the fruit, because the foliage is what the plant wants to digest the sunlight. Christ here is talking about him being the “true Vine” an analogy of a plant, the branches are us. In order for the vine to feed everyone, the gardener only chooses branches which bear fruit, this way the vine can feed less to produce more at the harvest. The goal here is not to grow strong with lots of good looking leaves, the goal here is to make fruit. He continues – Remain in me and I in you, be part of me, be part of my goal my vision, my world view. Take on the burden I see, and make it part of your own burden.

But the warning, the branch cannot produce fruit if it’s severed from the vine. The branches need the nourishment of the vine, yes and only the vine produces the nourishment. In Verse 7, “if you stay joined to me and my words remain in you, you may ask any request you like, and it will be granted”. This is not the health Wealth theology, this is when you are connected to God’s plan and God’s world View, then your focus is God’s. When you ask for something, God will give it because you are part of his plan, and his plan is to produce fruit. But Verse 8, now this is what our motivation should be – “My true disciples produce much fruit. This brings great glory to my Father”. We bring Glory to God, we are doing the one thing we were ordained to do from the foundation of the world, we Glorify God!

What is my purpose, to Glorify God. How do I do it? I bear fruit. How do I bear fruit? I stay connected to the vine, I’m in community with Jesus and other vines. I take on His burden, I reach out to those in the world, and show them how they can be connected to the “True Vine”. I read his word, and I place Jesus words on my heart and mind, and make “The Word” part of my daily actions. How often do I focus on the little things in life which bring me comfort, instead of going and taking the burden which the vine wishes me to carry? I need to produce fruit, I want to produce fruit, and I want to bring Glory to God!

My simple thought for today.

Today I started looking at all the things I need to do: have a Job, provide for my family, do things for my company to make keep my job, do things at home to keep my family happy. That doesn’t even include all the other things I do for friends, neigbors, relatives, and my church. But really what is the point to my life, if it’s just doing thing, things to make other people happy, things to make myself happy, when the big picture is bigger than myself. What is the point to my life? I think the Westmister Shorter Catechism really cuts to the chase and answers the question to life, the universe and everything.. Q: What is the Chief end of man? A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. So when I look at my friend from church, who asks me for help with his computer, I have to say to myself, this is a chance to Glorify God. If my friend from work needs help, I have to think about how God can seek Glory from my actions. When a joke is being said at work, how I respond is a direct reflection of God. I really want to focus on this, as being my most importaint Thing. Everythign is a shadow compaired to this as a goal. So the big question, what does it look like, how does it work. That’s the answer which will take a lifetime to answer.