Last week we took an overview of the material on “God’s five purposes for your life” as summarized in Rick Warren’s booklet “What On Earth Am I Here For?”. The all point to the overarching purpose of bringing glory to God (“the reason for everything” as Warren put it).
Those five purposes are:
1. You bring God glory by getting to know and love him.
2. You bring God glory by learning to love other people in God’s family.
3. You bring God glory by becoming like Christ.
4. You bring God glory by serving others.
5. You bring God glory by telling others about him.
I then asked these questions:
Have you ever clearly stated what you think is your own purpose for life?
and…
How does your purpose for your life fit with (or compare to) the 5 purposes Warren lists?
These five purposes sound a lot like “preacher talk”. They sound like they are written for an audience of Christians who are expected to be already focused on living the Christian life. It seems like we are looking at the condensed outline of someone’s sermon, or a sermon series.
What do they have to do with someone in America, even a Christian, trying to live life in the real world? Even more, what do they have to do with someone who is not a Christian, whether in America or another country, who is trying to survive and succeed in a highly secular world?
Well, Rick Warren is a preacher, so it’s what you might expect of him. His sermon series turned into a book that is read by millions. The question still remains about the relevance of his premise that the purpose in life is to bring glory to God. Doesn’t God have enough glory on His own without having to receive glory from us? Humanly speaking, it sounds egocentric to think that God created us specifically in order for us to bring glory to Him.
But what if Warren is right? What if God in all His glory created us solely in order that we might experience some of that glory ourselves. By becoming the kind of people He created us to be, we can refract the glory of God out to others.
Like light through a prism, others will not see the perfect white light but a diffused and even refracted light showing a multitude of colors. Still, they will see enough that they too will want to contact the source of the light.
Experiencing even a part of the glory of God, we find joy, love, and a host of other “colors” of the nature of God Himself. Being made in His image, we fulfill our purpose in reflecting back to God His nature, His character, His attributes. We experience in limited measure what God experiences, and He is satisfied that His creation is complete.
I just had some play time with my granddaughter who is 11 months old. Just walking, not yet talking, able to laugh and even tease, it gives me enormous joy to see her, hear her, and enjoy having her come to me with arms up and a big smile on her face.
I feel fulfilled in seeing my granddaughter becoming a person, just as I am fulfilled in seeing my own daughters reach maturity and have success and families of their own. Isn’t this just a shadow of the satisfaction God must have in seeing His creation becoming what He created it to be.
So, I can understand that God, in creating us to bring glory to Himself, purposes that we will thereby benefit as well. We will become what He created us to become, and then we will be able to share some of His glory. It’s not egocentric at all—God wants us to bring Him glory so we may share it with Him. It’s enough to make me want to sing or even shout!!
And what a pity that some will never have that experience because the only apparent purpose for their life is a self-centered one. That’s why, in typical “preacher” fashion Rick Warren doesn’t conclude his message without asking for a response. On page 56 he says “Its time to settle this issue. Who are you going to live for—yourself or God?”
Look at the verse quoted on page 57, “To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” Now, I’ll state in question form what Warren writes as the way to share in this glory—believing in Jesus Christ and receiving Him as your Savior and Lord.
Have you ever believed that “God loves you and made you for his purposes”?
Have you asked God to forgive you for whatever you have done that was not in sync with His glory, and invited Jesus to change you into one that will reflect His glory?
Have you received “Jesus Christ into your life by allowing Him to become your Lord (manager, boss, the one in control) and Savior (who died to pay the penalty for everything you’ve ever done wrong)”?
If you can answer yes to these questions, congratulations, you are already on your way to fulfilling God’s purpose for your life.
If you answered no, you too can start your own relationship with Jesus Christ right now. On pages 57 and 58 Warren offers a model of a prayer to get you started. If you have some more questions, or would rather talk with someone before proceeding, you can email Rudy Antle. I will be glad to talk with you.
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