As women, we face many challenges and pressures in our lives. We may struggle with our identity, our roles, our relationships, our responsibilities, our expectations, our emotions, our fears, our hopes, and our dreams. We may feel inadequate, insecure, overwhelmed, discouraged, or dissatisfied. We may wonder if our lives matter if we are making a difference, if we are fulfilling our purpose.
But what if we could find a higher and deeper perspective on our lives? What if we could discover the ultimate goal and the ultimate reward of our existence? What if we could experience the glory of God and the joy of God in everything we do?
The Bible tells us that God created us for His glory. He made us in His image and likeness, to reflect His character and beauty, to display His wisdom and power, to declare His praise and honor. He redeemed us by His grace, through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the work of His Spirit, to restore us to His fellowship, to conform us to His will, to equip us for His service. He calls us to live for His glory, to seek His kingdom and righteousness, to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. (Isaiah 43:7)
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
The Bible also tells us that God is our joy. He is the source and the object of our true happiness. He is the giver and the fulfiller of our deepest desires. He is the lover and the friend of our souls. He satisfies us with His presence, He delights us with His gifts, He comforts us with His promises, He encourages us with His words, He strengthens us with His power, He guides us with His wisdom, He protects us with His providence, He blesses us with His grace.
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11)
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
How do we live for the glory of God and the joy of God? How do we align our lives with His purpose and His pleasure? How do we enjoy Him and glorify Him in every situation and circumstance? Take a journey with me, let me share some crucial steps that can take you from glory to glory.
Taking it One Step at a Time:
- Know God. The first and most important step is to know God personally and intimately. We need to have a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and rose again to give us eternal life. We need to grow in our knowledge of Him through His Word, the Bible, which reveals His character, His works, and His ways. We need to communicate with Him through prayer, which expresses our dependence, our gratitude, our requests, and our worship. We need to listen to Him through His Spirit, who speaks to our hearts, convicts us of sin, guides us into truth, and teaches us to obey.
And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
~ John 17:3
- Love God. The second step is to love God with all that we are and all that we have. We need to love Him more than anything or anyone else, more than ourselves, our families, our friends, our possessions, our careers, our hobbies, our dreams. We need to love Him with our heart, our emotions, our affections, our passions. We need to love Him with our soul, our life, our breath, our being. We need to love Him with our mind, our thoughts, our beliefs, our opinions. We need to love Him with our strength, our energy, our abilities, our talents.
And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.’
~ Matthew 22:37-38
- Serve God. The third step is to serve God with all that we do and all that we say. We need to serve Him in our roles, whether we are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, workers, students, leaders, followers. We need to serve Him in our responsibilities, whether we are homemakers, caregivers, teachers, nurses, lawyers, engineers, artists, writers, missionaries. We need to serve Him in our gifts, whether we are gifted in administration, hospitality, teaching, evangelism, mercy, giving, leadership, or any other area. We need to serve Him in our words, whether we are speaking, writing, singing, praying, or witnessing.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
~ Ephesians 2:10
- Trust God. The fourth step is to trust God with all that we face and all that we hope for. We need to trust Him in our trials, our difficulties, our challenges, our problems, our sufferings. We need to trust Him in our joys, our successes, our achievements, our blessings, our celebrations. We need to trust Him in our fears, our worries, our anxieties, our doubts, our uncertainties. We need to trust Him in our hopes, our dreams, our plans, our goals, our aspirations.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
~ Proverbs 3:5-6
As we live for the glory of God and the joy of God, we will find that He is enough for us. He is our all in all. He is our everything. He is our God.
