Mymissionfufilled.com
Today this was the devo that came across my screen written by Phillip Nation and found on mymissionfufilled.com
I'm passing along some of it to you in hopes that you check it out for yourself and that it causes you to re-order and re-value your thoughts today about your purpose in life as I did.
We should all ask ourselves the obvious question: What is for the purpose of my life?
2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV) states:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”
The call upon us today is not to do religious activities—even good deeds. It is to live for the glory and excellence of God.
Peter’s inspired letter to the early Church was addressed to men and women young in their faith and persecuted in life. Yet, the emphasis of his letter is not on escaping hardship, but on magnifying the glory of God in the midst of it.
The mystery of participating in the very nature of God is just that—a mystery. We see from the totality of Scripture that focusing on God is the only way we could ever escape the corruption of the world and our own souls. Our redemption comes because of God’s love for us, and at the same time magnifies God’s glory.
Today, we will all complete work of some sort; school, job, life at home. And we must ask ourselves the question: Why do I do this?
We may do these things to feel better about ourselves or to help others. These reasons are often common of any religious or nonreligious stripe. Ultimately, Christians must do everything for the glory of God. Peter pointed this out in his first letter, as he taught about the use of our spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:11 ESV).
In fulfilling a missional life, we are tempted to see the end product in the physical results. I do not minimize aid given to widows, orphans, and outcasts. I celebrate the redemption of a friend snatched from the darkness of sin’s judgment. But I want the glory of God to be supreme in our minds and hearts. G. Campbell Morgan once said, “The greatest passion of the heart of Christ was not the saving of men, but the glory of God. And then the saving of men because it is for the glory of God.”
This week’s devotional exercises:
Take a few moments and think about your motivations. Then, answer these questions:
• What “good” things do I do that take me away from the more purposeful things for Christ?
• When I care for others, what is my primary focus? Christ or the person?
• Does the thought of living for God’s glory satisfy? Why or why not?
• Take time this week to read Jesus’s prayer in John 17 and meditate on the connections between God’s glory and His love for the church.
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 9:24 PM.
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