WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?
Rom 12:2
Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. (TLB)
2 Tim 2:7
Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. (NIV)
It’s Not About Me
Col 1:16
Christ himself is the Creator who made everything in heaven and earth, the things we can see and the things we can't; the spirit world with its kings and kingdoms, its rulers and authorities; all were made by Christ for his own use and glory.(TLB)
Job 12:10
For the soul of every living thing is in the hand of God, and the breath of all mankind.
(TLB)
Rom 8:6
Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after the old nature leads to death (TLB)
Matt 16:25
For anyone who keeps his life for himself shall lose it; and anyone who loses his life for me shall find it again. (TLB)
1 Cor 2:7
Our words are wise because they are from God, telling of God's wise plan to bring us into the glories of heaven. This plan was hidden in former times, though it was made for our benefit before the world began.(TLB)
Eph 1:11
Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God's sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.(TLB)
Without God Life Makes No Sense
You Are Not an Accident
Isa 44:2
"The Lord who made you, who will help you, says, O servant of mine, don't be afraid. O Jerusalem, my chosen ones, don't be afraid. (TLB)
Ps 138:8
The Lord will work out his plans for my life-- for your loving-kindness, Lord, continues forever. Don't abandon me-- for you made me.(TLB)
Ps 139:15
You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! (TLB)
Ps 139:16
You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!(TLB)
Acts 17:26
He created all the people of the world from one man, Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and when. He determined their boundaries. (TLB)
Eph 1:4
Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault-- we who stand before him covered with his love. (TLB)
James 1:18
And it was a happy day for him when he gave us our new lives through the truth of his Word, and we became, as it were, the first children in his new family.(TLB)
Isa 45:18
For Jehovah created the heavens and earth and put everything in place, and he made the world to be lived in, not to be an empty chaos. "I am Jehovah," he says, "and there is no other!(TLB)
I Jn 4:8
But if a person isn't loving and kind, it shows that he doesn't know God-- for God is love.
(TLB)
Isa 46:3-4
3. "Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created you and cared for you since you were born.
4. I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior.(TLB)
Many Are Driven by Guilt, Resentment Anger, Fear, Materialism or Need for Approval
Eccl 4:4
Then I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy! But this, too, is foolishness, chasing the wind.(TLB)
Gen 4:12
No longer will it yield crops for you, even if you toil on it forever! From now on you will be a fugitive and a tramp upon the earth, wandering from place to place."(TLB)
Ps 32:1
What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.(TLB)
Job 5:2
They die in helpless frustration, overcome by their own anger.(TLB)
I Jn 4:18
We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; his perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what he might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what he might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us.(TLB)
Matt 6:24
"You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around.(TLB)
Isa 49:4
I replied, "But my work for them seems all in vain; I have spent my strength for them without response. Yet I leave it all with God for my reward."(TLB)
Job 7:6
My life drags by-- day after hopeless day.(TLB)
Job 7:16
I hate my life. Oh, let me alone for these few remaining days.(TLB)
Jer 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.(TLB)
Eph 3:20
Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of-- infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.(TLB)
Prov 13:7
Some rich people are poor, and some poor people have great wealth! (TLB)
Isa 26:3
He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!(TLB)
Eph 5:17
Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to.(TLB)
Phil 3:13
No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be, but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, (TLB)
Phil 3:15
I hope all of you who are mature Christians will see eye-to-eye with me on these things, and if you disagree on some point, I believe that God will make it plain to you--(TLB)
Rom 14:10
You have no right to criticize your brother or look down on him. Remember, each of us will stand personally before the Judgment Seat of God.(TLB)
Rom 14:12
Yes, each of us will give an account of himself to God.(TLB)
John 14:6
Jesus told him, "I am the Way-- yes, and the Truth and the Life. No one can get to the Father except by means of me.(TLB)
You Were Not Put on Earth to be Remembered but to Prepare for Eternity
This Life is not All There Is
Eccl 3:11
Everything is appropriate in its own time. But though God has planted eternity in the hearts of men, even so, many cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. (TLB)
2 Cor 5:1
For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down-- when we die and leave these bodies-- we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
(TLB)
Phil 3:7
But all these things that I once thought very worthwhile-- now I've thrown them all away so that I can put my trust and hope in Christ alone.
(TLB)
1 Cor 2:9
That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord.
(TLB)
Matt 25:34
"Then I, the King, shall say to those at my right, 'Come, blessed of my Father, into the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world.
(TLB)
Ps 33:11
but his own plan stands forever. His intentions are the same for every generation.
(TLB)
Eccl 7:2
It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you are going to die, and it is a good thing to think about it while there is still time.(TLB)
Heb 13:14
For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.(TLB)
2 Cor 5:6
Now we look forward with confidence to our heavenly bodies, realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus.(TLB)
There is More to Life than Just Here and Now
The Way You See Your Life Shapes Your Life
James 4:14
14 How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog-- now you see it; soon it is gone.(TLB)
Rom 12:2
2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you.
(TLB)
2 Chr 32:31
31 However, when ambassadors arrived from Babylon to find out about the miracle of his being healed, God left him to himself in order to test him and to see what he was really like.
(TLB)
1 Cor 10:13
13 But remember this-- the wrong desires that come into your life aren't anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation's power so that you can bear up patiently against it.
(TLB)
James 1:12
12 Happy is the man who doesn't give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him.
(TLB)
Ps 24:1
1 The earth belongs to God! Everything in all the world is his!
(TLB)
Gen 1:28
28 And God blessed them and told them, "Multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; you are masters of the fish and birds and all the animals.
(TLB)
1 Cor 4:7
7 What are you so puffed up about? What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if all you have is from God, why act as though you are so great, and as though you have accomplished something on your own?
(TLB)
1 Cor 4:2
2 Now the most important thing about a servant is that he does just what his master tells him to.
(TLB)
Matt 25:14-29
14 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going into another country, who called together his servants and loaned them money to invest for him while he was gone.
15 "He gave $5,000 to one, $2,000 to another, and $1,000 to the last-- dividing it in proportion to their abilities-- and then left on his trip.
16 The man who received the $5,000 began immediately to buy and sell with it and soon earned another $5,000.
17 The man with $2,000 went right to work, too, and earned another $2,000.
18 "But the man who received the $1,000 dug a hole in the ground and hid the money for safekeeping.
19 "After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to him to account for his money.
20 The man to whom he had entrusted the $5,000 brought him $10,000.
21 "His master praised him for good work. 'You have been faithful in handling this small amount,' he told him, 'so now I will give you many more responsibilites. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you.'
22 "Next came the man who had received the $2,000, with the report, 'Sir, you gave me $2,000 to use, and I have doubled it.'
23 "'Good work,' his master said. 'You are a good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over this small amount, so now I will give you much more.'
24 "Then the man with the $1,000 came and said, 'Sir, I knew you were a hard man, and I was afraid you would rob me of what I earned, so I hid your money in the earth and here it is!'
26 "But his master replied, 'Wicked man! Lazy slave! Since you knew I would demand your profit,
27 you should at least have put my money into the bank so I could have some interest.
28 Take the money from this man and give it to the man with the $10,000.
29 For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him.
(TLB)
Matt 25:21
21 "His master praised him for good work. 'You have been faithful in handling this small amount,' he told him, 'so now I will give you many more responsibilites. Begin the joyous tasks I have assigned to you.'
(TLB)
Luke 16:11
11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?
(TLB)
Luke 12:48
48 "But anyone who is not aware that he is doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater.
(TLB)
Life is a Test and a Trust
Unless You are Faithful in Small Matters You Won’t Be Faithful in Large Ones
Ps 39:4
4 Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.
(TLB)
Ps 119:19
19 I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map-- and your commands are my chart and guide.
(TLB)
Job 8:9
9 for we were born but yesterday and know so little; our days here on earth are as transient as shadows.
(TLB)
Ps 39:4
4 Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more.
(TLB)
Ps 119:19
19 I am but a pilgrim here on earth: how I need a map-- and your commands are my chart and guide.
(TLB)
1 Pet 1:17
17 And remember that your heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge you with perfect justice for everything you do; so act in reverent fear of him from now on until you get to heaven.
(TLB)
Phil 3:19-20
19 Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their appetite: they are proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life here on earth.
20 But our homeland is in heaven, where our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, is; and we are looking forward to his return from there.
(TLB)
James 4:4
4 You are like an unfaithful wife who loves her husband's enemies. Don't you realize that making friends with God's enemies-- the evil pleasures of this world-- makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy the evil pleasure of the unsaved world, you cannot also be a friend of God.
(TLB)
2 Cor 5:20
20 We are Christ's ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you-- be reconciled to God.
(TLB)
1 Pet 2:11
11 Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls.
(TLB)
1 Cor 7:31
31 Those in frequent contact with the exciting things the world offers should make good use of their opportunities without stopping to enjoy them; for the world in its present form will soon be gone.
(TLB)
2 Cor 4:18
18 So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
(TLB)
John 16:33
33 I have told you all this so that you will have peace of heart and mind. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows; but cheer up, for I have overcome the world."
(TLB)
John 16:20
20 The world will greatly rejoice over what is going to happen to me, and you will weep. But your weeping shall suddenly be turned to wonderful joy [when you see me again].
(TLB)
John 15:18-19
18 for you get enough hate from the world! But then, it hated me before it hated you.
19 The world would love you if you belonged to it; but you don't-- for I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you.
(TLB)
2 Cor 4:18
18 So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
(TLB)
1 Pet 2:11
11 Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls.
(TLB)
Heb 11:13
13 These men of faith I have mentioned died without ever receiving all that God had promised them; but they saw it all awaiting them on ahead and were glad, for they agreed that this earth was not their real home but that they were just strangers visiting down here.
(TLB)
Heb 11:16
16 But they didn't want to. They were living for heaven. And now God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has made a heavenly city for them.
(TLB)
Earth is not Our Final Home You Were Created for Something Much Better
This World is Not My Home
It’s All For Him
Rom 11:36
36 For everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. To him be glory evermore.
(TLB)
Prov 16:4
4 The Lord has made everything for his own purposes-- even the wicked, for punishment.
(TLB)
Ps 19:1
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship.
(TLB)
Gen 3:8
8 That evening they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and they hid themselves among the trees.
(TLB)
Exod 33:18-23
18 Then Moses asked to see God's glory.
19 The Lord replied, "I will make my goodness pass before you, and I will announce to you the meaning of my name Jehovah, the Lord. I show kindness and mercy to anyone I want to.
20 But you may not see the glory of my face, for man may not see me and live.
21 However, stand here on this rock beside me.
22 And when my glory goes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed.
23 Then I will remove my hand, and you shall see my back but not my face."
(TLB)
Exod 40:33-38
33 Then he erected the enclosure surrounding the tent and the altar, and set up the curtain-door at the entrance of the enclosure. So at last Moses finished the work.
34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it.
35 Moses was not able to enter because the cloud was standing there, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.
36 Whenever the cloud lifted and moved, the people of Israel journeyed onward, following it.
37 But if the cloud stayed, they stayed until it moved.
38 The cloud rested upon the Tabernacle during the daytime, and at night there was fire in the cloud so that all the people of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.
(TLB)
IKing 7:51
51 When the Temple was finally finished, Solomon took into the treasury of the Temple the silver, the gold, and all the vessels dedicated for that purpose by his father David.
(TLB)
IKing 8:10-12
10 Look! As the priests are returning from the inner sanctuary, a bright cloud fills the Temple!
11 The priests have to go outside because the glory of the Lord is filling the entire building!
12 Now King Solomon prayed this invocation: "The Lord has said that he would live in the thick darkness; But, O Lord, I have built you a lovely home on earth, a place for you to live forever."
(TLB)
John 1:14
14 And Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. And some of us have seen his glory-- the glory of the only Son of the heavenly Father!
(TLB)
Eph 2:21-22
21 We who believe are carefully joined together with Christ as parts of a beautiful, constantly growing temple for God.
22 And you also are joined with him and with each other by the Spirit and are part of this dwelling place of God.
(TLB)
2 Cor 4:6-7
6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that it is the brightness of his glory that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But this precious treasure-- this light and power that now shine within us-- is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see that the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own.
(TLB)
Exod 24:17
17 Those at the bottom of the mountain saw the awesome sight: the glory of the Lord on the mountaintop looked like a raging fire.
(TLB)
Exod 40:34
34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle and the glory of the Lord filled it.
(TLB)
Ps 29:1
1 Praise the Lord, you angels of his; praise his glory and his strength.
(TLB)
Isa 6:3-4
3 In a great antiphonal chorus they sang, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with his glory."
4 Such singing it was! It shook the Temple to its foundations, and suddenly the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.
(TLB)
Isa 60:1
1 "Arise, my people! Let your light shine for all the nations to see! For the glory of the Lord is streaming from you.
(TLB)
Luke 2:9
9 Suddenly an angel appeared among them, and the landscape shone bright with the glory of the Lord. They were badly frightened,
(TLB)
Rev 21:23
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to light it, for the glory of God and of the Lamb illuminate it.
(TLB)
Heb 1:3
3 God's Son shines out with God's glory, and all that God's Son is and does marks him as God. He regulates the universe by the mighty power of his command. He is the one who died to cleanse us and clear our record of all sin, and then sat down in highest honor beside the great God of heaven.
(TLB)
2 Cor 4:6
6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that it is the brightness of his glory that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
(TLB)
John 1:14
14 And Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. And some of us have seen his glory-- the glory of the only Son of the heavenly Father!
(TLB)
1 Chr 16:24
24 Show his glory to the nations! Tell everyone about his miracles.
(TLB)
Ps 29:1
1 Praise the Lord, you angels of his; praise his glory and his strength.
(TLB)
Ps 66:2
2 Sing of his glorious name! Tell the world how wonderful he is.
(TLB)
Ps 96:7
7 O nations of the world, confess that God alone is glorious and strong.
(TLB)
2 Cor 3:18
18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.
(TLB)
Rev 4:11
11 "O Lord, you are worthy to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for you have created all things. They were created and called into being by your act of will."
(TLB)
Rom 3:23
23 Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal;
(TLB)
Isa 43:7
7 All who claim me as their God will come, for I have made them for my glory; I created them.
(TLB)
John 17:4
4 I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to.
(TLB)
Rom 6:13
13 Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God-- every part of you-- for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.
(TLB)
I Jn 3:14
14 If we love other Christians, it proves that we have been delivered from hell and given eternal life. But a person who doesn't have love for others is headed for eternal death.
(TLB)
Rom 15:7
7 So warmly welcome each other into the church, just as Christ has warmly welcomed you; then God will be glorified.
(TLB)
John 13:34-35
34 "And so I am giving a new commandment to you now-- love each other just as much as I love you.
35 Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
(TLB)
2 Cor 3:18
18 But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.
(TLB)
Phil 1:11
11 May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.
(TLB)
John 15:8
8 My true disciples produce bountiful harvests. This brings great glory to my Father.
(TLB)
1 Pet 4:10-11
10 God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings.
11 Are you called to preach? Then preach as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies so that God will be glorified through Jesus Christ-- to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
(TLB)
2 Cor 4:15
15 These sufferings of ours are for your benefit. And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank him for his great kindness, and the more the Lord is glorified.
(TLB)
John 12:27-28
27 Now my soul is deeply troubled. Shall I pray, 'Father, save me from what lies ahead'? But that is the very reason why I came!
28 Father, bring glory and honor to your name." Then a voice spoke from heaven saying, "I have already done this, and I will do it again."
(TLB)
John 12:25
25 If you love your life down here-- you will lose it. If you despise your life down here-- you will exchange it for eternal glory.
(TLB)
2 Pet 1:3
3 For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!
(TLB)
John 1:12
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--
(NIV)
John 3:36
36 And all who trust him-- God's Son-- to save them have eternal life; those who don't believe and obey him shall never see heaven, but the wrath of God remains upon them."
(TLB)
Living For God’s Glory is the Greatest Achievement We Can Accomplish With Our Lives
When Anything in Creation Fulfills its Purpose it Brings Glory to God
Day Nine What Makes God Smile
Day Ten The Heart of Worship
Day Eleven Becoming Best Friends With God
Day Twelve Developing Your Friendship with God
Day Thirteen Worship that Pleases God
Day Fourteen When God Seems Distant
Day Fifteen Formed for God’s Family
Day Sixteen What Matters Most
Day Seventeen A Place to Belong
Day Eighteen Experiencing Life Together
Day Nineteen Cultivating Community
Day Twenty Restoring Broken Fellowship
Day Twenty-one Protecting Your Church
Day Twenty-two Created to Become Like Christ
Day Twenty-three How We Grow
Day Twenty-four Transformed by Truth
Day Twenty-five Transformed by Trouble
Day Twenty-six Growing through Temptation
Day Twenty-seven Defeating Temptation
Day Twenty-eight It Takes Time
Day Twenty-nine Accepting Your Assignment
Day Thirty Shaped for Serving God
Day Thirty-one Understanding Your Shape
Day Thirty-two Using What God Gave You
Day Thirty-three How Real Servants Act
Day Thirty-four Thinking Like a Servant
Day Thirty-five God’s Power in Your Weakness
Day Thirty-six Made for a Mission
Day Thirty-seven Sharing Your Life Message
Day Thirty-eight Becoming a World-Class Christian
Day Thirty-nine Balancing Your Life
Day Forty Living With Purpose