Day 7 - The Reason for Everything

Andranise "Niecy" Harvey

The Reason for Everything 

We've all heard the phrase, "Everything happens for a reason." Right? Well, the reason for the universe and all that it contains is to demonstrate the glory of God, His essence (nature), His significance, His magnificence, His supremacy and His existence or presence. All of nature reflects His glory. Throughout history He has revealed His glory. But the most excellent revelation of God’s glory has been in His Son, Jesus Christ—the Light of the world. Because of Christ man may actually and truly understand the glory of God. And since God’s inherent glory has been clearly revealed to mankind, everyone is commanded to recognize, honor, declare, praise, reflect and live for His glory. Why? Because God deserves it; He is the Creator and Owner of all. In the entire universe, only fallen angels (demons) and man fail to bring glory to God, this is the result of sin. Prideful rebellion caused Satan to fall, as well as each individual that has ever lived upon earth (the exception being Jesus Christ). Yet, the greatest achievement in life for any person is to bring glory to God in all his thoughts and activities. The way a person can bring glory to God is to fulfill his God-ordained purpose on earth, just as nature does the same by fulfilling its purpose. Although there are many ways we can bring glory to God, they can be summarized in God’s five purposes for our lives. We can certainly bring glory to God by: 1. Worshiping Him: Thoughts and activities of and for God that are motivated by love, thanksgiving and delight, not duty. It is an all consuming lifestyle of enjoying and loving God, which involves every intricate aspect of one’s life. 2. Loving Believers: Understanding that all believers have been spiritually united in Christ, that all form one union; therefore, to hurt one is to hurt all; therefore, one glorifies God by honoring, loving and supporting all members of Christ’s body. 3. Becoming Christ-like: Understanding that every believer has been given a new nature (every believer has been indwelt permanently by the Holy Spirit), which allows each one through genuine submission to the Spirit to express, on a continuing upward scale, the characteristics of Christ. This is achieving spiritual maturity, an activity that glorifies God.

4. Serving Others with your Gifts: Since God has given to every person unique talents and abilities for the purpose of benefiting others, to do so is to glorify God. 5. Sharing Christ with Others: This is the fulfillment of Christ’s Great Commission to every believer. Nothing is dearer to God’s heart and glorifies Him more than for a believer to share the gospel message of His only begotten Son with those who are lost and without Him. For a believer to fulfill the multifaceted (five-fold) purpose for his life requires alterations in priorities, schedules, relationships and activities. This is not always simple or easy. It often requires retreating from self-centered goals such as comfort and pleasure. It requires an orientation on promised eternal rewards. It requires a decision—to live for God or for self. But if a believer will make the correct choice to fulfill his God-ordained purpose in life, he’ll find that God will grant him all the power to do it. First comes commitment, then comes the resources and inner-strength to accomplish the decision to glory God.

Verse to Remember: "For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory." Romans 11:36 (LB)