Day 35: We Serve One Objective - The Glory Of God

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

»  What is your purpose in life?

»  Reflect on your various roles (child, spouse, parent, worker, friend, neighbor, etc). Think of how to fulfill your purpose in at least two of those roles.

»  Decide today that you will live for one primary objective - the glory of God.

»  Practice the memory verse.

QUOTE

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

- Brennan Manning

SCRIPTURE

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

- Luke 4:18-19

DEVOTIONAL

All of creation - the heavens, the galaxies, the land and sea, and all that dwell in them - we all exist for one purpose: the Glory of God. When a created thing functions in the way it was designed, it is a beautiful thing. Conversely, when a created thing attempts to function in a way for which it was not designed, it is at best awkward, and at worst disastrous. Everything wrong in the world is the fruit of man’s ignorance, rebellion, and refusal to submit to his Sovereign Designer.

But God’s glory cannot be stopped! It is the glory of God to satisfy the demands of justice and extend mercy to the rebel, both through the sacrifice of Himself. Then we, who are the redeemed people of God, return to fulfill our original purpose - the Glory of God. We do so by joining Jesus in the redemptive work of drawing rebels back to God, and righting the wrongs we have created. We do this through the Spirit of God who has been given to us. He anoints us to proclaim God’s goodness.

What is the primary work of the anointed? To proclaim good news to the poor and the prisoner; to restore sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, and to proclaim the favor of God for the redeemed. This is the glory of God - to forgive, to restore, and to set free. We take the same mindset as Jesus, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

We are a Kingdom of servants, willing to give our all so that our King may be glorified. The Spirit of our King works in us to be made into the likeness of our King so we can serve the mission of our King, for the glory of our King. This is our single purpose and the pathway to our greatest pleasure.