2/18/16 Chris 30's
What is the meaning of life?
Is there more to this life than simply avoiding the punishment of hell
in the next? Is there more to the gospel
than "fire insurance"? Of
course there is, but what is it? Well, being
with our Creator and enjoying His presence in Heaven, for starters. But could there be an even better reason than
that? I was thinking about this as we
were talking with Chris, a nominal Eastern Orthodox man from Serbia. After we explained the Gospel, his response
was "You believe in whatever makes you happy, and I will believe in
whatever makes me happy."
But is
our own personal happiness our ultimate standard for evaluating truth? Is that our purpose for existence? The Bible says, hundreds of times throughout
its pages, that there is much more. It's
not about us, it's about God. It's about
the Supreme Creator of the Universe receiving the glory He so justly deserves. We were made to glorify God. God,
the Creator, is holy, set apart from His creation. And He wants his holiness made known. His glory is the public demonstration of His
holiness, and He uses every aspect of His creation to demonstrate His eternal attributes.
We were made for this. Revelations 4 says “You are worthy, our Lord
and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and
by your will they were created and have their being.” 1 Peter says "If anyone serves, they
should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be
praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and
ever." Even our salvation is not
about us, for it is meant to display God's glory as His mercy is made
known. Psalm 79:9 tells us "Help
us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive
our sins for your name’s sake."
Surprised? Our tunnel vision and selective
memory can cause us to overlook God's purpose to glorify himself throughout the
Bible and to pay attention only to those passages that are self serving. But here's a challenge: go to an online Bible like
www.Biblegateway.com and do a Bible search for "glory" and related
terms. Take some time to read through
all the passages. There you will find
the meaning of life that has always been right there in the Bible in front of
us. We have a purpose in life much
greater than avoiding hell or going to heaven - we were created to glorify God
with the glory He so rightfully deserves, in this life and the next.
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