Encouraging - Goal

The ultimate goal of life is that God be displayed as glorious because of all that he is and all that he has made and done – especially the grace he has shown in the work of Christ. The way we glorify him is by knowing him truly, by treasuring him above all things, and by living in a way that shows he is our supreme treasure.

It is my eager expectation and hope that…Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me is Christ, and to die is gain…To depart and be with Christ…is far better…I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Phil 1:20-21, 23, 3:8).

John Piper, Think, (Crossway, Wheaton, IL: 2010), 15.

Encouraging - Purpose

You have a far more strategic role to play than just filling a church pew and helping to meet the annual budget. God has an assignment designed precisely for you – and this is part of the abundant life you so earnestly crave. As you give yourself to God’s special assignment, you will pray more and with a deeper sense of passion. You will hunger for a greater understanding of the Bible and how it applies to your life. You will regularly sense the help of the Holy Spirit, since God always works with those who give themselves to work for him…If, by contrast, we sadly reduce our relationship with God to a preoccupation with “bless me, bless me,” we will only be frustrated. The more we reach for happiness in life, the more it eludes us.

Jim Cymbala, You Were Made for More: The Life You Have, the Life God Wants You to Have (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI: 2008), 26.