In this self-centered age when so many are confused about what is truly important in life, we need to be reminded why we are here on earth. I can assure you that it isn’t for fleshly gratification.   God gives us the reason for our being in Isaiah 43:7,”—-I have created him for my glory—.” But what does that mean? How do we put that into shoe leather and live it out? Although volumes could be written on this subject, Pastor James MacDonald sums it up wonderfully:   “God made us so that we could reflect His glory back to Him. Glory is to God what wet is to water, as heat is to fire, as light is to bulb. Glory is what emanates from God. Although we can’t see God (1 John 4:12), we can see His glory in creation and in His people when they model His holiness. Glory is the evidence that God is present.   God’s purpose in your life is to bring glory to or display Himself. In fact, He wants to do it even in the most mundane things that you do.’ Whether—you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ says 1 Corinthians 10:31. In commanding us to glorify Him, God invites us to leave His fingerprints on everything we touch.”   Now you know why you are here—there is no question about that! The only question that remains is, What will you do?

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.–Isaiah 40:29   The older we get the better acquainted we get with weariness. Old age ain’t for sissies! Oh, I know there are exceptions–some fortunate folks say they are pain free. That’s great, but it’s not the norm. Neither is weariness limited to the elderly. It can afflict people of all ages. There are times when the strongest of men and the bravest of women grow weary. Sooner or later, by one cause or another, we all reach the limit of our strength. What then?   Determination won’t always get the job done. You can clench your teeth, set your jaw, square your shoulders, scotch your feet with a firm resolve that you will march on, but sometimes that isn’t enough.   Nor can others always come to your rescue. There are times when your dearest friend’s efforts are not enough. They weep with you and work with you, but it’s just not sufficent. They want to help and would help, but it’s more than they can do.   No, sometimes the mountains are too high, the valleys are too low, and the rivers are too wide for human strength to prevail. For times like this there is only One source of strength that will suffice–God! Everyone needs God. He is the only source of satisfaction and strength that can meet our deepest needs. A right relationship with God opens up resources beyond “all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.”(Eph. 3:20) Only in Christ do we find strength for the struggle. Trust Him today!

“—-endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”–2 Timothy 2:3   You don’t have to be a Christian very long before you realize that the Christian life is a battle-ground rather than a play-ground! We are in a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:12) and the fight is fierce and non-stop. We fight or we fail.   I’ve been reading a summary of “The Art of War”, by Sun Tzu. It was recommended to me by my barber friend and I find it very interesting. It was written in the 6th century BC and is considered the definitive work on military strategies and tatics. I’m sure no expert on warfare, but I am very much aware of the fact that our nation and Christianity are under attack. The scary thing is that this isn’t obvious to most people. They are like the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. Sad indeed!   There is no greater joy than being a Christian, but that doesn’t mean it is all fun and games. To turn the church into a fun house is a big mistake. Pretending all is well doesn’t change anything for the better. We are at war and the sooner we wake up to that fact the better.   There is no reason why we should be surprised or confused about this. We need not be ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Cor. 2:11) and we have all the armor we need (Eph. 6:11-18) to be victorious, but we must awaken to the danger and get involved in the fray. We are not called to just sit back and take it, but rather to be pro-active. It’s time for folks to wake-up, get-up, and get going; to stop playing church and start getting serious about their responsibilities. We are on a God-given mission and the enemy is doing all he can to stop us. To be successful we must take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”(Eph. 6:17) and get in the battle. Regardless of the difficulties involved, we are called to “endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” We must fight or fail!   He who is fully surrendered to the Lord will never surrender to the enemy!

Jesus Christ  the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. –Hebrews 13:8

When American author Lloyd C. Douglas was a university student, he lived in a boarding house. Downstairs on the first floor was a retired music teacher who lived in a small apartment.

Every morning, Douglas claimed they went through the same ritual. He would come down the steps, open the old man’s door, and ask, “Well, what’s the news?”

The old man would pick up his tuning fork, tap it on the side of his wheelchair, and say, “That’s Middle C! It was Middle C yesterday; it will be Middle C tomorrow; it will be Middle C a thousand years from now. The tenor upstairs sings flat, the piano across the hall is out of tune, but my friend, that is Middle C!”

The old man had discovered one thing in his life upon which he could always depend-Middle C. For Christians, the one constant and absolute in this life, of which there is no shadow of changing, is Jesus Christ. —– God sent His Son to die on the cross so that we might have eternal life with Him. He made a promise, and He kept it.

Because of this, we can rest assured that God will never change. He is ever-present when trouble comes barreling in. He is all-powerful to do exactly as He has promised. And He is all-knowing, and we should never worry because He is in control. He is the same “yesterday and today and forever.”(From Senior Living)

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men.–Colossians 3:23

Christ never asks for anything we cannot do.

But let us not forget that He always does expect and require of each of us the best we can do. The faithfulness Christ wants and approves implies the doing of all our work, our business, our trade, our daily toil, as well as we can. Let no one think that religion does not apply to private life. It applies to the way you do your most common work just as readily as to your praying and keeping of the commandments. Whatever your duty is, you cannot be altogether faithful to God unless you do your best. To slur any task is to do God’s work badly; to neglect it is to rob God. The universe is not quite complete without your work well done, however small that work may be.

-J. R. Miller