As we near the day of Jesus return, it seems that His church is undergoing a transformation of sort. From the days of the “Jesus People” to the recent trend of the “Self Centered”, the church has experienced the full spectrum of being led by the Spirit as well as the flesh.
A few years ago a worship Chorus was introduced to the church called “Jesus , Lover of my soul”. The lyrics speak of the real purpose for our existence here on earth as human beings. This wonderful chorus describes the reality of our purpose and what should be the focus of all human existence, the person of Jesus Christ:
“It’s all about You, Jesus. And all this is for You For Your glory and Your fame. It’s not about me, As if You should do things my way. You alone are God, and I surrender To Your ways.
Jesus, lover of my soul, All consuming fire is in Your gaze. Jesus, I want You to know, I will follow You all my days. For no one else in history is like You, And history itself belongs to You. Alpha and Omega, You have loved me And I will spend eternity with You…”
The purpose of our life is to bring glory, honor, praise and pleasure to the Lord. Does it shock or offend you that our purpose in life is to bring pleasure to God? When I first heard those words spoken 35 years ago, I was a little put off. To imagine that the purpose of my existence was for God to derive pleasure from my life sounded strange to me. As I grew in my knowledge of Jesus and His Word, and I contemplated the reality that my life could please the Lord, I realized that this was exactly what I desired my purpose to be about.
At some point in our life, many of us have gone out to the garage to find a certain tool for a particular job. Perhaps being unable to find the exact tool we are looking for, we take the nearest object in the tool box that resembles what we originally wanted and proceed to “make it work”. Instead of finding a pry bar or nail extractor, we sometimes use a screwdriver to complete the task. In the process of using the wrong tool for the job, sometimes the tool gets bent or broken. If you are like myself, we then get upset with ourselves for using the wrong tool in the wrong way.
If indeed we were created by God to bring Him pleasure, then fulfilling that purpose should also bring us greater joy than anything else that we could do. Just as using the right tool for the right job is a pleasure, so also are we as tools in the hands of the Lord. Both happy and satisfied when we are fulfilling that purpose for which we were created.
The most miserable and unfulfilled people on the earth are those who spend their lives on self. Those who take in all the good things of life and the blessings of exisiting, but never have an outlet to give back anything to someone else. Most of us have discovered how wonderful it is to give to other people. How good it feels when you give a gift of something material or of your time or resources. Did you ever wonder why it fells so good to give of yourself or what you have to someone else?
In the Bible, Luke records that Jesus was always saying that “It is more of a blessing to give than to receive…” Acts 20:35 … And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
After several years of making many mistakes in my walk with Jesus I discovered that when the Lord gives us a command, it is not to deprive us of enjoyment, but to increase our enjoyment of life. When Jesus commands us to quickly forgive someone who has hurt or used us and we are able to let it go and even pray for the blessing of God in that person’s life, it really sets us free to have lasting joy. If on the other hand, we hold on to the anger and allow it to fester inside of us, we can become bitter, angry and even develop physical symptoms that can lead to sickness or even death.
The Lord wants for all of us to have a full, rich and satisfying existence while we are on the earth and the only way to obtain this kind of life is to live it completely to please the Lord. It really is all about Jesus, everything was made for Him and everything should be bringing Him much glory. I would hope that in my own life and in yours, that we would daily seek to find ways that we could please the Lord in what we say, how we treat other people and most especially the actions of our life. That when people see us, they would see someone who is like Jesus. A person Kind, considerate, patient and giving. May the Lord richly bless you as you make this the determination of your heart and the outcome of your life.
Rob Robinson
