Living for the Glory of God

     This is something I wrote a few weeks ago with the intention of sharing it with the youth Sunday school class at my church. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to present the lesson. Interestingly enough, a spontaneous conversation started tonight at the youth group meeting, and my "lesson" suddenly seemed incredibly relevant. Here it is:

What is the one thing that excites you the most?

Do you read the Bible regularly? Why or why not?

What is our ultimate purpose?

Our purpose is to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Isaiah 43:7

What does glorify mean?

To make God look as great as He really is with the way we live, act, speak, etc. 1 Corinthians 10:31, Psalm 72:19.

Why live my life for Christ when I can simply live for myself and do whatever makes me happy?

We were created to bring Him praise; therefore the only thing that truly satisfies and fulfills us is to live in right-standing with God. One act of disobedience was enough to separate us from Him forever and bring the wrath of God upon us.  Once we have trusted in Him for salvation, we automatically want to make Him happy! Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” We obey Him when we love Him. If we don’t obey Him, we don’t really love Him and we don’t actually belong to Him. 1 John 2:3-4, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Ecclesiastes 12:13.

Why must God punish sin?

Because He is holy & just! Sin is breaking God’s perfect law. A just judge cannot simply pardon a crime (i.e. murder, theft, etc.). The law demands that the criminal be punished, just as the Law in the Old Testament demands that our offenses against God must be punished. The Old Testament Law (the Ten Commandments) was written to show us that we can never measure up to God’s standard on our own, therefore we need Jesus, God in the flesh, the only man who lived a sinless life, to take our sin upon Himself at the cross. This is what is known as atonement, the reconciliation of God and humankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:1-10, Philippians 3:9-10, Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Matthew 5:17.

Therefore…

              When we understand how much we desperately need Jesus, all we have to do is trust in His atoning work on the cross on our behalf. When that happens and we begin to realize all He has done for us and how much it cost Him, how can we not want to live for Him? When someone does something kind for you, don’t you try to do everything you can to show your thanks, and to repay them by any means possible and to make them happy? (Not that we could ever repay Jesus for what He’s done for us!) This is why I have chosen to live for Christ! John 5:24.

              If you’re a believer already, you represent Jesus wherever you go and with whatever you do, so act like it! Don’t cause others to curse God because of your behavior. Instead, live in such a way as to bring honor to Him; cause others to want to have that same hope that lies within you. Let the light of Jesus shine in you, and let others see Him in you.

              You only have one short life to live, and the choices you make right now matter. Don’t waste what you have been given. When you come to the end of your life and you stand face-to-face with God, what’s going to really matter? Live for the glory of God!