Two weeks ago when I began this series about finding our life's purpose, I said this search is not about us.  We need to start with a startling fact that the search for purpose in life is about God, not us.  The search for meaning in life is greater than our peace of mind, our personal fulfillment or our happiness.  It's greater than our family, career, ambitions or dreams.  If we want to know why we are here on this planet, we must first remember that it's all about God.

          Today's Bible text says, "For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!"  The highest purpose we can ever have is to give glory to God.  The most important, the ultimate goal for every living thing in every part of the universe, is to show glory to God.  The universe exists to show God's glory.  Psalm 19 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of His hands."  In other words, you and I exist to show His glory.  Unless we seek to give God glory, our lives will continually lack meaning and purpose.  Mankind was made to give God glory.

          But what is the glory of God?  The Old Testament speaks of "shekinah", the glory of God that first showed itself in the burning bush and later in glowing in the face of Moses as He came down from Mt. Sinai.  The glory of God overpowered Pharaoh at the Red Sea and later filled the tabernacle in the desert.  God's glory remaining with Israel in the Temple as long as they were faithful.  When they finally deserted God, His glory finally left them, and did not return until Jesus showed that glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.  There His disciples said His face was like a burning light and his clothing like dazzling white.

          What is the glory of God?  It is who He is.  It is the essence of His nature, the power of His importance, the radiance of His splendor, the demonstration of His power, the presence that surrounds Him.  God's glory is the expression of His goodness and His very nature.

          And where is the glory of God?  Just look around.  Everything created by God shows His glory in some way.  We see it in the tiniest microscopic form of the atom to the vastness of the Milky Way.  His glory is shown in sunsets and storms, stars and snowflakes, flowers and butterflies.  All creation shows His glory, including people.

          Human beings are all created to show God's glory, to give Him the glory due His name.  The noblest of human ventures -- lovely music, merry laughter, a baby's cries, an amazing invention, a caring hand, giving your life for another -- all can give God glory.  God works good in those things.  "For from him and through him and to him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!"

          Our purpose in life must begin with giving God the glory.  This revelation shocks most of us.  We thought it started with us, not God.  We thought the whole process would concentrate on us, but it doesn't.  But when you begin your search for life's purpose with God, you start on the right foot and you find what you're searching for.

          In Isaiah 43, God speaks of, "...Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."  Living for God's glory is the highest achievement we can obtain, the highest goal we can reach in life.

          But what does this mean?  How is this done?  How can we bring glory to God and so fulfill our life's purpose?  Personally I'd like to hear some new material, some memorable answers.  Well, I hate to disappoint you.  I have five ways, but you've probably heard them all before.  There are no surprises here, no magical formula, so flashing revelation.  The five ways to bring God glory are as common as a Sunday School lesson.  They're what the Bible tells us over and over.  And you're already involved in some of them, maybe more than you think.

          We bring God glory five ways:  1...By worshiping Him,  2...By loving others,  3...By becoming like Christ,  4...By serving others,  5...By telling others about Him.  Pastor Bob, those old things again?  Tell us something new!  Okay, I will!  Listen to them again for the first time...

1.       We bring God glory by worshiping Him.  It's our first responsibility, our first love.  C.S. Lewis said, "In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him."  God wants worship to be motivated by love, not duty, by thanksgiving, not command.  Worship is more than coming to church, praising, praying, listening.  Worship is enjoying God, loving Him every minute and giving ourselves to Him to be used for His purposes.  "For from him and through him and to him are all things."  Worship is everything we do in light of what God has done for us.  We worship God in our work, our play, our home and in the field.  Worshipping Him in all things gives God glory.

2.       We bring God glory by loving others.  Our first commandment is to love God above all, but the second is to love our neighbor.  When we're part of the church, we're adopted into a new family.  You have all the rights and privileges thereof.  You're grafted into Christ, the Vine, and you bear fruit.  Part of the fruit is the ability to love others, no matter who they are.  John said, "Let us love one another, for love comes from God." (1 John 4:7)   In God's family we can love because He has first loved us.  Loving others gives God glory and brings joy to our lives.

3.       We bring God glory by becoming like Christ.  When you're born into God's family, you can't stay a baby;  you must grow up.  Spiritual maturity means becoming more like Christ.  As He loved and forgave, so we can love and forgive.  As He served, so we can serve.  This is not easy.  Satan and the world will do their best to stop us, to knock us off the road to eternity.  But God doesn't leave us alone.  The Holy Spirit gives us power.  He helps us believe in Christ and be more like Him.  For the rest of your life, your purpose is to become more like Christ.

4.       We bring God glory by serving others.  We follow what Jesus said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28)   We're designed to serve.  Each of us is uniquely gifted with talents, skills and abilities.  We're wired to help others.  No matter whether believers or unbelievers, we can serve them.  1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others."  Living just for yourself is stifling.  It's boring, tiring, unfulfilling.  But helping others is truly exciting and rewarding.  And God will get the glory.

5.       And finally, we bring God glory by telling others about Him.  God's love shouldn't be kept a secret.  Once we know the truth that sets us free, we need to share it.  It's a privilege -- a freedom we have -- to tell someone what God has done for us.  It's a joy to see their faces light up when we tell them of the hope we have.  St. Peter says, "Always be prepared to ...share the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15)

          So, what are we here for?  We're here to fulfill the purposes God gives us, and the main one is to give God glory.  Dear friends, Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.  He died for our sins on Calvary, and He rose again on Easter.  He did it so that we might rise from a life of self-centeredness to a life of showing God's glory.

          Giving God glory may not be what you had hoped for when we started this search for purpose, but it's the real thing.  It's all about God.  It starts and ends with His love for us in Jesus.  And it continues with our love for Him and for each other.

          Now that this convention is over, I realize again what my specific purpose is.  It's to be a shepherd, a pastor and friend to those God has given me.  For a moment I thought God might want me to be a pastor to pastors, but I think He knew that's not what I'm here for.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knelt at a fork in His road.  Would He press on, to bring glory to God, or would He find something else to do with His life?  Praise God He pressed on -- for us!  Amen

(I am again grateful to Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life, for many of the thoughts in this message.)

Copyright © 2003 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.