The Greatest Question

I make such a simple thing so very hard! It’s at once the hardest question in the universe and the easiest to answer – the hardest to accomplish and the easiest to fail. The basis of many scenes in movies, punch lines in jokes and subjects of cartoons:

What is the meaning of life? Why are we here?

People would say that if I know the answer to that question I could be a rich woman. Oh that it were so! Because I do know the answer. As believers, we all do. However, it often does no good to give it because, unless the Holy Spirit is speaking, a non-believer’s ears are closed and eyes are blind. (Matthew 13:13, “…though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.")

Let’s look at the answer for a moment though. Why hard and easy at the same time? We are here for one thing – simply to have a relationship with God, to love Him and be loved by Him. But what about glorifying Him, what about telling others, what about (and here’s the tricky part) good works?

If we love, really love our God and Father; if our desire is to know Him better through prayer and His Word; if our eye is on the prize of becoming more and more like Jesus, the rest will follow. Our words, our actions, the love of God that flows naturally from us WILL glorify Him. We will WANT to tell others about Him because we will be so excited about this abundant life He wants to provide.

Good works will be a part of what we do because we want to please Him, not because we think we can earn extra love or be deserving of God’s grace. That can never happen. It’s a pure gift. Pure…and simple.

Jeremiah 31:3
“…I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”