My Purpose/Reason for Living - Study 2/10/11
My Purpose/Reason for Living
I heard about three carpenters working on the initial construction of one of the oldest cathedrals in the United Kingdom, Saint Paul’s Cathedral. One by one they were asked what they were doing. The first one said, “I am just hammering nails to a piece of wood”. The second one said, “I am just doing this so I can make some money to eat and buy things”. The third carpenter spoke and said, “I am building a Cathedral where God will be worshipped and His name glorified”. This third carpenter clearly understood the reason for living.
Do you know why you are living and why you are doing whatever you are doing? What is your purpose for living? Activity does not define purpose. Unfortunately, a lot of people are going through the motions and not knowing why they do what they do though it may be important stuff.
Purpose is given by the one who is higher and superior. Purpose is also revealed by the one who gives purpose. In our study for today, Apostle Paul prays and reminds the Thessalonians what their purpose is and what they are living for. “We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 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 our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” vs.11-12. Basically to the Thessalonians, Paul said, it is not enough to suffer and endure as you have done but while you are living it out, know why and understand the greater purpose for living – to glorify God.
Simply put, to give glory to God requires that we trust God, act on faith and then give all the thanksgiving and honor to God for the outcome. It was well done this past Sunday by one of the players of the Super Bowl Champions, Green Bay Packers who said immediately after their win and defeat of the Pittsburg Steelers, “We overcame many adversities. To God be the Glory!” and he repeated, “To God be the glory”. What a humbling acknowledgement and honor to God on a world-wide watched event (111 million viewers). This is a football player with purpose and a reason for living.
How about you and I? Life in its simplest form is sweet if we make God the focus regardless of what we do for living. It is not about you or me. It is all about God’s glory and God being pleased. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Can you trust God today? My personal experience is that I reach my highest level of frustration with myself and others when momentarily I forget this truth that it is all about God’s glory and not me. It is even a lifetime of confusion and frustration if you have not come to this revelation of the reason for living to glorify God. Maybe you are frustrated in general because you do not know or may have forgotten your reason for living. Let’s ask God to reveal to us the reason for living.
2 Thessalonians 1
1 Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 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 our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. The operative word for our study today is glory and God being glorified. It is all over this chapter and many other chapters of these letters to the Thessalonians. We have been made and created for one purpose and that is to glorify God. Paul writes in vs.10, “He comes to be glorified in his holy people”; vs. 12, “That the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him. Likewise in 2:14, Paul writes, “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only glory that there is God’s glory and only God should receive all glory. He is the “Worthy” and “Glorious” One.
2. What is glory and being glorified? Usually, glory is ascribed to an object or person. Another word interchangeable is “honor”. Vines dictionary defines glorify as "to magnify, extol, praise", especially of "glorifying;" God, i.e., ascribing honor to Him, acknowledging Him as to His being, attributes and acts, i.e., His glory”. In this passage, Paul is praying that the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in the Thessalonians’ lives. Then and now a person’s name is worth a million, thus “Paul looks for glory to be ascribed to Christ for all he will do in the lives of the Thessalonian Christians”. Good name is more important than anything else. Companies and individuals go a long way to protect and preserve their name. Law suits are filed for misuse or libel. How much more should we protect the name of God and honor Him.
3. Some people live to have their names inscribed on a town and/or buildings and so forth. Washington DC is named after George Washington. There is the Reagan airport and Martin Luther King Highway or so forth. It is good to be recognized. But what if your name never makes it on any building? I would rather have people remember the name of God when I have departed than my own name. I hope that people would say, yes he lived for the glorify and honor of God and as a result give thanks to God for my deeds.
4. Jesus had a purpose while here that his Father be glorified. This was His purpose for living that drove Him to the cross and enabled Him suffer all kinds of insults and humiliation. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee” (John 17:1). These one of the last words of Jesus that sums up his purpose and reason for coming to earth. He is our example and taught us so.
5. What are the practical ways we can glorify God? As a result different life experiences we would all have different opportunities to glorify God. For one, we cannot take the name of the Lord in vain as He commanded. Thanksgiving to God is one sure way of acknowledging and giving God the glory due Him. Paul asked the Corinthians, what is it that you have that has not been given to you? Therefore there is no room to glory in self. You occasionally hear about people who made it by the “boot straps” “all by themselves”. That is a lie. Without God you cannot make it even with hard work (it does not mean we don’t work hard we should).
6. Apostle Paul also prayed for how the Thessalonians can accomplish this greatest purpose for living to glorify God. ”By his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith”. He is saying it is God’s power that will first initiate the desire for doing good and to make it happen and bring it to the point of bearing fruit. When others test the fruits produced by God in our lives, they give glory to God. Note also that Paul also prayed for actions (deeds) of the Thessalonians that would be prompted, initiated in faith in God. We can only do good deeds when we take a step of faith trusting God. Love is taking risk to bless another. We cannot love God if we cannot love even our fellow humans we can see.
7. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they need the grace of God in order to glorify him. “The name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” vs.12. The grace is the enabling power of the saint of God. In fact, we have been told that God’s grace is in the person of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus told us that “apart from me you can do nothing” meaning if the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit is not in us we cannot really glorify God. It is absolutely the work of God’s Grace that we are able to glory Him. Are there some things you have been trying to do all by yourself? Please pray and ask for God’s enabling grace otherwise you will be forever frustrated.
Understanding and living with the knowledge that we are created to bring glory to God makes every day living worth it. Daily living can be mundane and monotonous regardless of your career or calling. It is therefore the understanding of our purpose for living that gives us the zest to continue on a daily basis. As a result, it does not matter what we do as long as we give glory to God. The Scripture commands us to live that way. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). May we commit to living with this command in mind. Whatever your hands finds doing, do it to the glory of God. Have you just changed a baby’s diaper, “To God be the glory”. Have you just performed a successful surgery on a patient, “To God be the glory”. Whatever you do……. “To God be the glory” when it is done for God and especially when no one else is looking or noticing us.
Let’s not forget that God’s grace is always available to us to accomplish his good purposes. We must continuously seek, pray and ask for God’s grace which is sufficient for us. We are also energized by God’s power to initiate and accomplish our deeds by faith. Go ahead today and take a step of faith in Jesus name for God’s glory. Bless someone today by your act of kindness.
Have you found the reason for living? Someone said, “Career success and material things cannot be your reason for living! You need a larger purpose, and God will give you one if you ask Him”. By God’s grace, I will live to glorify God. This is my reason for living and my purpose in life. Is it the same for you? Remember, it is not about you or me. It is all about God’s glory.
Lord, open our eyes to your purposes and plans so that we may live to glorify you. Grant us your grace to do so on a daily basis. Amen.
I heard about three carpenters working on the initial construction of one of the oldest cathedrals in the United Kingdom, Saint Paul’s Cathedral. One by one they were asked what they were doing. The first one said, “I am just hammering nails to a piece of wood”. The second one said, “I am just doing this so I can make some money to eat and buy things”. The third carpenter spoke and said, “I am building a Cathedral where God will be worshipped and His name glorified”. This third carpenter clearly understood the reason for living.
Do you know why you are living and why you are doing whatever you are doing? What is your purpose for living? Activity does not define purpose. Unfortunately, a lot of people are going through the motions and not knowing why they do what they do though it may be important stuff.
Purpose is given by the one who is higher and superior. Purpose is also revealed by the one who gives purpose. In our study for today, Apostle Paul prays and reminds the Thessalonians what their purpose is and what they are living for. “We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 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 our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” vs.11-12. Basically to the Thessalonians, Paul said, it is not enough to suffer and endure as you have done but while you are living it out, know why and understand the greater purpose for living – to glorify God.
Simply put, to give glory to God requires that we trust God, act on faith and then give all the thanksgiving and honor to God for the outcome. It was well done this past Sunday by one of the players of the Super Bowl Champions, Green Bay Packers who said immediately after their win and defeat of the Pittsburg Steelers, “We overcame many adversities. To God be the Glory!” and he repeated, “To God be the glory”. What a humbling acknowledgement and honor to God on a world-wide watched event (111 million viewers). This is a football player with purpose and a reason for living.
How about you and I? Life in its simplest form is sweet if we make God the focus regardless of what we do for living. It is not about you or me. It is all about God’s glory and God being pleased. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Can you trust God today? My personal experience is that I reach my highest level of frustration with myself and others when momentarily I forget this truth that it is all about God’s glory and not me. It is even a lifetime of confusion and frustration if you have not come to this revelation of the reason for living to glorify God. Maybe you are frustrated in general because you do not know or may have forgotten your reason for living. Let’s ask God to reveal to us the reason for living.
2 Thessalonians 1
1 Paul, Silas[a] and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters,[b] and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5 All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. 12 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 our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.[c]
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. The operative word for our study today is glory and God being glorified. It is all over this chapter and many other chapters of these letters to the Thessalonians. We have been made and created for one purpose and that is to glorify God. Paul writes in vs.10, “He comes to be glorified in his holy people”; vs. 12, “That the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him. Likewise in 2:14, Paul writes, “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. The only glory that there is God’s glory and only God should receive all glory. He is the “Worthy” and “Glorious” One.
2. What is glory and being glorified? Usually, glory is ascribed to an object or person. Another word interchangeable is “honor”. Vines dictionary defines glorify as "to magnify, extol, praise", especially of "glorifying;" God, i.e., ascribing honor to Him, acknowledging Him as to His being, attributes and acts, i.e., His glory”. In this passage, Paul is praying that the name of our Lord Jesus be glorified in the Thessalonians’ lives. Then and now a person’s name is worth a million, thus “Paul looks for glory to be ascribed to Christ for all he will do in the lives of the Thessalonian Christians”. Good name is more important than anything else. Companies and individuals go a long way to protect and preserve their name. Law suits are filed for misuse or libel. How much more should we protect the name of God and honor Him.
3. Some people live to have their names inscribed on a town and/or buildings and so forth. Washington DC is named after George Washington. There is the Reagan airport and Martin Luther King Highway or so forth. It is good to be recognized. But what if your name never makes it on any building? I would rather have people remember the name of God when I have departed than my own name. I hope that people would say, yes he lived for the glorify and honor of God and as a result give thanks to God for my deeds.
4. Jesus had a purpose while here that his Father be glorified. This was His purpose for living that drove Him to the cross and enabled Him suffer all kinds of insults and humiliation. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee” (John 17:1). These one of the last words of Jesus that sums up his purpose and reason for coming to earth. He is our example and taught us so.
5. What are the practical ways we can glorify God? As a result different life experiences we would all have different opportunities to glorify God. For one, we cannot take the name of the Lord in vain as He commanded. Thanksgiving to God is one sure way of acknowledging and giving God the glory due Him. Paul asked the Corinthians, what is it that you have that has not been given to you? Therefore there is no room to glory in self. You occasionally hear about people who made it by the “boot straps” “all by themselves”. That is a lie. Without God you cannot make it even with hard work (it does not mean we don’t work hard we should).
6. Apostle Paul also prayed for how the Thessalonians can accomplish this greatest purpose for living to glorify God. ”By his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith”. He is saying it is God’s power that will first initiate the desire for doing good and to make it happen and bring it to the point of bearing fruit. When others test the fruits produced by God in our lives, they give glory to God. Note also that Paul also prayed for actions (deeds) of the Thessalonians that would be prompted, initiated in faith in God. We can only do good deeds when we take a step of faith trusting God. Love is taking risk to bless another. We cannot love God if we cannot love even our fellow humans we can see.
7. Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they need the grace of God in order to glorify him. “The name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” vs.12. The grace is the enabling power of the saint of God. In fact, we have been told that God’s grace is in the person of Jesus Christ. That is why Jesus told us that “apart from me you can do nothing” meaning if the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit is not in us we cannot really glorify God. It is absolutely the work of God’s Grace that we are able to glory Him. Are there some things you have been trying to do all by yourself? Please pray and ask for God’s enabling grace otherwise you will be forever frustrated.
Understanding and living with the knowledge that we are created to bring glory to God makes every day living worth it. Daily living can be mundane and monotonous regardless of your career or calling. It is therefore the understanding of our purpose for living that gives us the zest to continue on a daily basis. As a result, it does not matter what we do as long as we give glory to God. The Scripture commands us to live that way. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). May we commit to living with this command in mind. Whatever your hands finds doing, do it to the glory of God. Have you just changed a baby’s diaper, “To God be the glory”. Have you just performed a successful surgery on a patient, “To God be the glory”. Whatever you do……. “To God be the glory” when it is done for God and especially when no one else is looking or noticing us.
Let’s not forget that God’s grace is always available to us to accomplish his good purposes. We must continuously seek, pray and ask for God’s grace which is sufficient for us. We are also energized by God’s power to initiate and accomplish our deeds by faith. Go ahead today and take a step of faith in Jesus name for God’s glory. Bless someone today by your act of kindness.
Have you found the reason for living? Someone said, “Career success and material things cannot be your reason for living! You need a larger purpose, and God will give you one if you ask Him”. By God’s grace, I will live to glorify God. This is my reason for living and my purpose in life. Is it the same for you? Remember, it is not about you or me. It is all about God’s glory.
Lord, open our eyes to your purposes and plans so that we may live to glorify you. Grant us your grace to do so on a daily basis. Amen.
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