Part 1 here, this is the continuation of sharing the things I highlighted in the book. No copyright infringement intended. Just want to share this for people who don't have the patience to finish the whole book but interested to have more than a glimpse of the book.
DAY 7. The Reason for Everything
The ultimate goal of the universe is to show glory to God.
God made it all for his glory.
What is the glory of God? It is who God is. God's glory is the expression of his goodness and all of his other intrinsic, external qualities.
Where is the glory of God? Just look around. Everything created by God reflects his glory in some way.
Creation reveals our Creator's glory.
God's glory is best seen in Jesus Christ. He, the Light of the world, illuminates God's nature.
God's inherent glory is what he possesses because he is God. It is his nature. We are commended to recognize his glory, honor his glory, declare his glory, praise his glory, reflect his glory, and live for his glory. Because God deserves it! Since God made all things, he deserves all the glory.
All sin, at its root, is failing to give God glory. It is loving anything else more than God. Refusing to bring glory to God is prideful rebellion, it is the sin that cause Satan's fall-- and ours, too.
Living for God's glory ought to be the supreme goal of our lives.
Jesus honored God by fulfilling his purpose on earth. We honor God the same way.
St. Irenaeus said. "The glory of God is a human being fully alive!"
God's 5 purposes for your life:
✅We bring God glory by worshipping him
✅We bring God glory by loving other believers
✅We bring God glory by becoming like Christ
✅We bring God glory by serving others with our gifts
✅We bring God glory by telling others about him
God will give what you need if you will just make the choice to live for him.
Real life begins by committing yourself completely to Jesus Christ.
First, believe. Believe God loves you and made you for his purposes.
Second, receive. Receive Jesus into your life as your Lord and Savior.
DAY 8. Purpose #1: Planned for God's Pleasure
God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment.
You are a child of God, and you bring pleasure to God like nothing else he has ever created.
You also have the ability to enjoy pleasure, one of the greatest gifts God gave you. He wants you to enjoy life, not just endure it. The reason you are able to enjoy pleasure is that God made you in his image.
Bringing pleasure to God is called "worship". Worship is far more than music. Worship is not for your benefit. Worship is not a part of your life; it is your life.
DAY 9. What makes God Smile?
The smile of God is the goal of your life.
5 Acts of Worship that make God smile:
✅ God smiles when we love him supremely
✅ God smiles when we trust him completely
✅ God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly
✅ God smiles when we praise and thank him continually
✅ God smiles when we use our abilities
DAY 10. The Heart of Worship
The heart of worship is surrender.
It is the natural response to God's amazing love and mercy.
Offering yourself to God is what worship is all about.
This act of personal surrender is called many things: consecration, making Jesus your Lord, taking up your cross, dying to self, yielding to the Spirit.
There are 3 BARRIERS that block our total surrender to God:
❌ Fear
❌ Pride
❌ Confusion
Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism, or an excuse of laziness.
C.S. Lewis observed, "The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become-- because he made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be...
Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience. Surrendered people obey God's Word, even if it doesn't make sense.
Trust God. You let go and let God work. Instead of trying harder, trust more. 💟
The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus.
Surrender is hard work. It is intense warfare against our self-centered nature.
The BLESSING of surrender is you experience PEACE.
You were designed to worship God-- and if you fail to worship him, you will create other things (idols) to give your life to. You are FREE to choose what you surrender to, but you are not free from the consequences of that CHOICE.
Give it all to God: your past regrets, your present problems, your future ambitions, your fears, dreams, weaknesses, habits, hurts, and hang-ups.
Make it a daily habit.
NOW is your time to surrender-- to God's grace, love., and wisdom.
DAY 11. Becoming Best Friends with God
God wants to be your best friend.
Almighty God yearn to be your Friend!
God deeply desires that we know him intimately.
Knowing and loving God is our greatest privilege, and being known and loved is God's greatest pleasure.
DAY 12. Developing Your Friendship with God
6 Secrets of friendship with God:
✅ Through constant conversation
✅ Through continual meditation
✅ I must chose to be honest with God
✅ I must choose to obey God in faith
✅ I must choose to value what God values
✅ I must desire friendship with God more than anything else
You are as close to God as you choose to be.
Intimate friendship with God is a CHOICE, not an accident. You must intentionally seek it.
PAIN is the fuel of passion-- it energizes us with an intensity to change that we don't normally possess. C.S. Lewis said, "Pain is God's megaphone."
Your problems are not punishment; they are wake-up calls from a loving God.
DAY 13. Worship that Pleases God
God wants all of you. He asks for all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
The kind of worship that pleases God has 4 characteristics:
✅ accurate
✅ authentic
✅ thoughtful
✅ practical
Worship takes effort and energy.
When you praise God even when you don't feel like it, when you get out of bed to worship him when you're tired, or when you help others when you are worn out, you are offering a sacrifice of worship to God. That pleases God.
The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart. 💟
DAY 14. When God Seems Distant
The deepest level of worship is praising God in spite of pain, thanking God during a trial, trusting him when tempted, surrendering while suffering, and loving him when he seems distant. (SAME THING I ALWAYS REMIND MYSELF IN LOVING MY SPOUSE)
Philip Yancey has wisely noted, "Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance..."
God has promised repeatedly, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." But God has not promised "you will always feel my presence."
It is a test of faith--one we all must face: Will you continue to love, trust, obey, worship God, even when you have no sense of his presence or visible evidence of his work in your life?
God is always present, even when you are unaware of him, and his presence is too profound to be measured by mere emotion.
You trust him than you feel him. FAITH, not feelings, pleases GOD.
Do what Job in the Bible did:
✅ Tell God exactly how you feel
✅ Focus on who God is-- his unchanging nature
✅ Trust God to keep his promises
✅ Remember what God has already done for you
God's Son died for you. This is the greatest reason for worship. Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise.
GOD LISTENED TO MY PRAYERS AND IS STILL LISTENING, AS ALWAYS, GOD FULFILLED MY WISHES, SPECIFIC WISHES AND I WILL NEVER FORGET
DAY 15. Purpose #2: Formed for God's Family
Because God is Love, he treasure relationships. His very nature is relational, and he identifies himself in family terms: Father, Son, and Spirit. The Trinity is God's relationship to himself. It's the perfect pattern for relational harmony.
Every human being was created by God, but not everyone is a child of God. The invitation to be part of God's family is universal, but there is one condition: faith in Jesus.
Paul says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward."
BAPTISM signifies your inclusion in God's family. It symbolizes God's second purpose for your life: participating in the fellowship of God's eternal family.
Baptism doesn't make you a member of God's family; only faith in Christ does that. Baptism shows you are part of God's family.
Like a wedding ring, it is a visible reminder of an inward commitment made in your heart. 💟
It is an act of initiation, the only biblical condition is that you BELIEVE.
Being included in God's family is the highest honor and the greatest privilege you will ever receive. Nothing else comes close. Whenever you feel unimportant, unloved, or insecure, remember to whom you BELONG.
DAY 16. What Matters Most (MY FAVORITE CHAPTER 😍)
LIFE is all about LOVE.
God is love, the most important lesson he wants you to learn on earth is how to love. It is in loving that we are most LIKE him, so love is the FOUNDATION of every command he has given us.
Peter tells us, "Show special love for God's people."
Our love for each other is our greatest witness to the world.
Love should be your top priority primary objective, and greatest ambition. The Bible says, "Let love be your greatest aim." Relationship must have priority in your life.
THE BEST USE OF LIFE IS LOVE
Through FELLOWSHIP we LEARN 3 important truths:
✅ Life without love is really worthless
Jesus summarized what matters most to God in two statements: love God and love people.
❌ Busyness is a great enemy of relationships. The point of life is learning to love--God and people.
✅ Love will last forever
Love leaves a legacy. As Mother Theresa said, "It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters." Love is the secret of a lasting heritage.
✅ We will b evaluated on our love
It is what we will be evaluated on eternity. God will review how you treated other people, particularly those in need.
Pray this: "God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other people--because that's what life is all about. I don't want to waste this day."
THE BEST EXPRESSION OF LOVE IS TIME
The importance of things can be measured by how much time we are willing to invest in them.
Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life.
Relationships take TIME and EFFORT, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E."
The essence of love is not what we think or do or provide fore others, but how much we give of ourselves. Men, in particular, often don't understand this. 😢
Your wife and kids want you! Your eyes, your ears, your time, your ATTENTION, your PRESENCE, your FOCUS---your time. Nothing can take the place of that.
The most desired gift of love is not diamond or roses or chocolate. It is focused attention.
Whenever you give your time, you are making a sacrifice, and sacrifice is the essence of love.
You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Love means giving up-- yielding my preferences, comfort, goals, and security, money, energy, or time for the benefit of someone else.
THE BEST TIME TO LOVE IS NOW
The Bible stresses this repeatedly "Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone."
