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CLAIM: If God’s glory is your goal, your life will not be wasted.

The only way to live a fulfilled life is to live for the glory of God.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to a group of college students about our ultimate purpose. Why do we ultimately exist? 

The biblical answer is that we exist for the glory of God, to make much of God in our lives.

“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

Other Purposes for Our Existence

Yes, we exist for many reasons. For example:

  • We exist to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion. “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
  • We exist to be happy, joyful, and satisfied. “Rejoice Always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
  • We exist to praise. “Let everything that has breath praise…” (Psalm 150:6)
  • We (Christians) exist to be holy. “For this is the will of God, your sanctification...” (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

And yet, our ultimate purpose is to glorify God in our lives.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Charlie Kirk’s Ultimate Purpose

This struck me as incredibly relevant when considering the murder of Charlie Kirk. I was not personally familiar with Kirk until this past year. Though primarily known as a political activist, Kirk caught my attention for his bold, and, most importantly, clear, articulation of the Gospel.

Kirk’s life cannot help but make us think about purpose and our ultimate purpose. And considering his short life and tragic death, it reaffirmed my initial claim about his purpose, my purpose, and the purpose of every human being.

CLAIM: If God’s glory is your goal, your life will not be wasted. The only way to live a fulfilled life is to live for the glory of God. If Charlie Kirk lived for the glory of God, then his life was not wasted. 

Kirk was not as fruitful as he could have been, for he died at a young age. If our ultimate purpose is to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28), then Kirk’s untimely death meant the failure of his purpose.

However, if our ultimate purpose is to make much of (i.e. glorify) God, then no untimely death, not even death itself can be a barrier to fulfilling our ultimate purpose. Certainly, the Apostle Paul felt this way:

“...it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:20–21)

So, be encouraged to pursue your ultimate purpose. You were made for the glory of God. If God’s glory is your goal, your life will not be wasted.