Focus: Why I Live

Text: Lk.12:15

"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth."

One poem reads:

It is a piteous thing to be

Enlisted in no cause at all,

Unsworn to any heraldry;

To fly no banners from the wall,

Own nothing you would sweat or try for,

Or bruise your hands or bleed and die for.

Thomas Guthrie was Scotland's premier pictorial preacher, a poet and a pioneer philanthropist. He said:

I live for those around me,

For those who love me true,

For the heaven whose smile has found me,

And awaits my spirit too;

For the wrong that needs resistance,

For the cause that lacks assistance,

For the future in the distance,

And the good that I can do.

Life is meaningless if its purpose is missed or lost. Life is light; it's designed to shine. Real life focuses on what is important, not on what is trivial. Real life is determined by its donation, not by its duration; it is determined by its mission, not by its possessions and positions.

Why are you alive in this world if not to:

*Love God and your fellow man.

*Impact your world through industry.

*Fulfill your role in history.

*Enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Paul says, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God" (1Cor.10:31). Again he says, "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Col.3:17). That is the essence of life - a life lived with God at the center of it. He decides and dictates everything. He is the source, center and goal of life. The purpose of life is a life of divine purpose. We live to glorify God, serve His purpose, and enjoy Him forever.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter