What is the Purpose?

As you can see in the description of this blog I think Scripture tells us what the purpose is. The overall, bottom line purpose of everything, creation, life, mankind, every action is to bring God glory and honor, for He is worthy of the same. He does not demand it, He commands it by virtue of His perfect character. The heavens and earth declare the glory of God. Man was made in his image to reflect His glory. God calls out a people for himself in order to bring glory to His name before all the nations. God calls, saves, and sanctifies this holy people to testify to His power, grace, mercy, and bring His name glory.  I think this is an important point. It may seem obvious, but we often do not apply this truth in living our lives. We see things in the temporal, and have trouble gaining a more heavenly perspective. We focus on this life- such as it is- material, visible, and temporary, and forget that though we are alive in Christ, this "life" is not fully manifest prior to our glorification. That is true life- as we were created to be, glorified in Him and with Him. This lack of heavenly perspective is what causes me to question- How can I ever "glory in tribulations"? I think the only way this is possible is to look at it through the lens of God's glory. I can "glory" in trials, knowing that it will bring glory to my Lord, my Savior, the love of my  life and the reason for my existence. He is worthy. Any suffering or trial that I may suffer is a pittance compared to what He suffered for me. When you love him with all your mind, body, and soul, and realize who He is, what He has done, and what He deserves, only then can you gladly suffer for His name sake. It requires a right recognition of God, fully revealed in His Son and His Word. If you don't love Him in that way, one can only presume you don't really know Him. Every mention of an encounter with the Lord in Scripture, results in prostration, a recognition of unworthiness, and acknowledgment of His awesome being. Pretensions are tossed aside as His glory and majesty are manifest. In His presence you are forced to admit that He is worthy. On that day every knee will bow before Him as Lord, not under force or coercion but by the inability to lie and deny Him his due honor. This right understanding of God, fuels the flames of our love for Him, and enables us to say with Paul- to live is Christ, to die is gain.