Glory to God

Purpose, we all want to have it. We all want to know that our lives have meaning and that we are not just on this earth to exist and then die. The dictionary definition of purpose is “the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.” During this Christmas season, I think many of us find purpose in buying presents for others, or giving to charities, or donating our time to help at a local food bank. What happens when Christmas is over and all the benevolence that we feel during this time of year disappears? What happens when the Christmas spirit is gone and we begin to get lost in the dreariness of January? The joy of the Christmas season lifts many of our spirits. We have all struggled with the doldrums that this pandemic has brought us and many have embraced the joy of the Christmas season earlier than normal. I have seen many houses decorated for Christmas earlier than normal.

Once Christmas is over and the dreariness of January sets in, how do we keep that Christmas spirit alive? The pandemic will not be over. It will take some time to get the vaccine administered.

How do we keep the joy and happiness that Christmas brings in our daily lives? We must look at Scripture to understand our purpose. If the Christmas spirit only comes out of us during the Christmas season, than we have not truly understood our purpose.

“Everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made.”

(Isaiah 43:7)

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have a singular purpose: to bring glory to God. That’s it. What brings us joy is not the circumstances that affect our daily lives: the kind of car we drive, the house we live in, who our friends are, a smooth day at work, etc. Our circumstances do not affect our joy. Knowing that our purpose in all situations is to bring honor and glory to God brings us joy.

No matter if we are sick with Covid or in quarantine because of exposure, if our car quits working, or we lose our job, we should be seeking to bring glory to God in any of these situations. What is your response to the hard times? What is your response to the good times?

If you are a garbage collector, unemployed, or the CEO of a company, the joy you experience needs to come from bringing glory to God in all situations.

There are so many stories of people who went through times of terrible heartache and loss and rather than feel sorry for themselves, they chose to bring honor and glory to God in the midst of the trial.

After Job’s trial he said, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2).

After Joseph’s trial he said to his brothers, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)

Will you be faithful and give God the glory in the little things, knowing that this will bring joy? Or will you always be striving for the next external circumstances to bring you joy? There is nothing in our lives that God is not aware of. There is not one thing in our life that He did not orchestrate for our good and His glory. Can we be faithful in the small things like Joseph and glorify God through them or will we choose to be like Naomi looking at the circumstances of life and changing our name to Mara which means bitter.

What is your purpose? To bring glory to God no matter the circumstance or wait for your circumstances to be perfect so you can derive happiness from them?  You do have a choice.