Purpose

I can hear it now. “Mom, Why do I have to make my bed”? “Mom, Why do I have to go to Sunday school?” “Mom, why do I have to do my homework, share my toys, sit with the family for meals”? Or maybe someday I will hear questions like “why do I have to give more than I receive, forgive people when they are mean, spend time doing good for others”? I might even be lucky enough to hear “Mom, how can I know more about Jesus, what is my purpose here on earth, how can I glorify God today”? Ok, so that might be a tall order, but I sure hope that they do.  If they ask such questions it shows that they are thinking about the “why” of life. Could there be one answer to all of the why questions in life, to what our purpose is? Why do laundry, tithe, spend time we don’t have making healthy meals for our family, work hard at our corporate jobs, put our kids needs before our own, love our spouses even when they yell and throw things at the TV during football games? Why? 

There is one answer. It’s to glorify God. That is our purpose in life. Our purpose is to Glorify God in every aspect of our life.  God uses us in different ways to meet His purpose because we all have different interest, talents, and gifts, but the neat thing about God is that no matter what career path, hobby, or friends we choose with our own free will, as long as we are seeking God with our whole heart, soul, and mind He will use us for his greater good. With this in mind we can approach our daily, sometimes mundane lives with a whole new purpose. We have an answer as to why we should think and act a certain way…. to Glorify God in everything that we do.

Now I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me why I should do something, I also want to know how I am supposed to do it. How am I supposed to glorify God when I am cooking dinner, when I am driving my son to school, when I am picking up the play room for the 100^th time that day, when I am paying bills, when I am walking my dog, when I am at the grocery store, when I am out to dinner with friends? How? Paul writes in Colossians 3: 17 “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, Do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. When we are told to do everything in Jesus’s name, we are told to be like Jesus in everything that we do.

Ladies, that is the answer as to how to glorify God in everything we do, to do it how Jesus would do it. I am going to flash back to the 1990’s now and remind you of the W.W.J.D bracelets that became ever so popular. The phrase What Would Jesus Do might have been the popular phrase of the 90s but it is has been popular since around A.D 60 and it is still popular today. If we are seeking to glorify God in a simple task like going out to dinner then we need to ask ourselves “What would Jesus do right now when he is going out to dinner”? The only way to try and know what Jesus would do in day to day typical situations is to know Jesus on a personal level, and the only way to really know Jesus is to study the word of God and have a relationship with him. So then, whether we are answering our kid’s questions as to why they have to share their toys or we are wondering how we can glorify God while we are grocery shopping the answer is always the same.

Why? To glorify God,

How? To do everything in the name of Jesus Christ by asking ourselves What Would Jesus Do?

That is our purpose.

Almighty God, help us to remember as we go through out our busy day that our ultimate purpose in life is to glorify you by seeking to be more like Jesus in our minds and in our actions (Colossians 3:17). We want our spouses, children, friends and acquaintances to see You in us today and every day. We seek to honor and serve you and to bring Glory unto You. Amen.