Life To The Lord
One of the main concerns of so many Christians is to know the will of God for their lives. There is an innate sense of purpose in all of creation and yet man gropes in the dark, seeking answers and direction. The majority of this quest is spent in finding out what career to follow, who to marry, where to live and areas of service. The enigma exists because man is continually seeking his purpose, rather than God’s. We must remember, we are God’s creation. God is not our creation. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. There is intelligence in our design and purpose in every minute part. Just as the smallest member of the body has a purpose, so does the whole. No one is a mistake. Everyone has been planned by God.
Before the foundation of the earth, God knew that man would sin and step out of His purpose and will. Salvation was not an after-thought, or a “plan B” solution. Before sin occurred, God had a plan of how to restore man to Himself. Jesus came in the fullness of time, at just the right moment, to redeem man from his sin. There were no trials and errors; no practice runs. Everything happened according to The Plan. But the Plan didn’t just stop with our salvation. Salvation just got us back on track. Before, we were off on our own pursuits, doing what was right in our own eyes, now we can live to fulfill the purpose for which we were created. We can live to the Lord.
Some believe that the will of God is limited to getting us to Heaven. But if this were the case, then it would be easier to die the moment we accept the Lord as our Savior. It is not necessary to remain here on the earth in order to prepare us for Heaven. In a blink of the eye, God can sanctify and prepare us for our eternal dwelling place. God has a greater purpose for us than just eternal bliss, and this has been imprinted into our spiritual DNA since the dawn of our creation. On man’s first day, God spoke His purpose into him. It is found in Genesis 1.28: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Purpose is discovered in our living to the Lord. Whatever our hands find to do, wherever our feet take us and whatever our mouth speaks it is to glorify the Lord. All that God has given us, we are to take care of and increase. We are the “salt the earth”, when we are a blessing to all we meet. Our lives are to be useful and productive. My father-in-law used to say: “leave a place better than you found it.” This is glorifying God in our daily lives. One day our adopted daughter asked my wife: “Mom, why do you get dressed so pretty and put your make-up on, first thing in the morning; even when you are staying home all day?” She answered: “Sweetie, you never know the divine appointments that may come your way. I must always be prepared to show God’s love to others and to receive them the best way possible.” She dresses to the Lord as she lives to the Lord. Purpose is to always be before us.
Paul told the Roman Church that they were to live to the Lord and to die to the Lord. (Rom. 14.8) At the end of his life, Paul had the satisfaction in knowing that he had fulfilled the purpose for which he was created. He had the assurance of eternal rewards and had no regrets for the way in which he had lived. As he had lived to the Lord, now he was ready to die to the Lord. It was all one in the same. All was for the Lord’s glory. All was to fulfill the Lord’s purpose.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Gen. 1.28; Rom. 14.8; Phil. 3.12-16; II Tim. 4.7-8; Col. 3.17