I will soon turn 45 years old. The older I get, the more I realize the sole purpose of our existence is to love, worship, and adore God. If you are younger than I am, then listen up. If you are older, then teach me more. If you are in your forties then join me here in my journey.
I spent the first 3 decades of my life worshipping God because I was taught to do so. Often it was more out of obligation and duty than true devotion. It was a dry run and often felt unproductive but that was never due to a shortcoming on God’s part. My heart was often too caught up in the here and now to focus on eternity. Eternity seemed too far way and the cares of this world weighed heavily. The distractions were often exciting and attractive.
In my forties I stopped caring so much about what others thought and focused more on what God thinks. I started taking inventory and realized that none of the things I had accumulated through education, my career, relationships, and material possessions really brought joy. Temporary happiness at times, but not joy in my inner being…in my soul.
I started to recognize that throughout my entire life there had been one constant. I had grown up, loved ones had died, times had changed, but God had always, always stayed the same. He had never forsaken me even when I had drifted from Him. He had always provided even when I was not faithful. He had always loved me even when I loved the pleasures of this world more than Him.
I cried as I wrote this and thoughts of my past came to mind. But as I lifted my shameful face to heaven and asked God to forgive me, He says, “For what, my child?”. He already has. He forgave me the first time I asked. And that immediately turns my tears into laughter. What a God!
I believe that if we remain faithful, our worship of Him becomes sweeter and sweeter as we grow nearer and nearer to Heaven. The Bible describes scenes in Heaven that we can’t understand. We are told that eyes have not seen and ears have not heard what is waiting for us on the other side. Sights so spectacular that the human body could not survive!
So we keep practicing here on earth through the wonderful praise and worship at church, our quiet times with God, and the loud times with God when I just have to run through the house having a hallelujah fit. Then there are times when I am so overwhelmed by God and His goodness that I have to fall face down before Him too awestruck to even move.
Earthly practice for an eternal finale that will last forever. We will join the angels who have already begun without us in saying:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come.”
This the purpose for which we were created; to worship God and bring Him pleasure. In that, we find our greatest pleasure.
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