In all we do, it is important that we understand the underlying purpose behind it. If we do not grasp this, we will easily become discouraged and give up during times of adversity. God’s Word clearly describes the purpose around which we should build our lives. In the Old Testament, the Lord revealed to man that we are created for His glory. In other words, He has placed us on this earth to fulfill His purposes, not our own.
Secondly, we discover that as we live out this purpose, then He will work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Thirdly, God will equip us in every way that we need in order to carry out His plans (Ephesians 2:10). Lastly, His plan for us is to be His ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20). His meaning in this is that we are to be His representatives.
“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved
and those who are perishing” (2 Corinthians 2:15)
It is a falsehood that only some are called to be ministers for Christ. All of us are given the title ambassador. All believers are told to preach the gospel and to make disciples (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18). We do this by being mindful that in whatever we do, we are to be witnesses for Christ.
Another way that we glorify God is to worship Him. In fact, we can say that everything we do and say for God’s glory is worship. But specifically, we are to praise the Lord throughout the day in song and words. We glorify God when we spend time with Him in prayer and reading His Word. We are to keep Him as our first priority. Intercessory prayer for others is a powerful ministry in which God is called upon to act in other’s lives. Reaching out to help those in need is an act of worship that brings joy to the Lord.
It is easy to only be concerned with that which is in our physical realm. But the Lord tells us that we are to be aware of the spiritual realm as well. In fact, we are told to seek first the Kingdom of God (which is in the spiritual realm) and then He will provide our needs in the physical realm. He tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood (which is in the physical realm), but against powers of darkness in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12).
As long as our main focus is to accomplish goals in the physical realm, we will miss the whole point of why God created us. Of course, we still need to perform our necessary tasks in the physical realm, but we need to shift our understanding of why we do what we do to have a spiritual realm purpose . . . to know and enjoy God, to bring glory to Him and to make Him known to others. We will experience joy and contentment when we know that we are having a meaningful and purposeful life.
-Sue Corl