SALT Challenge - Purpose

It was Ruth's turn to set the challenge for the SALT team this week and she chose Purpose, as in how does your purpose in life change once you become a Christian. Ruth did an amazing job summarizing her thoughts around this topic and you can read her write up on the SALT blog. One of the first questions posed in the Westminster's Shorter Catechism is "what is the chief end of man", that is why are we here, what are we to do with our lives? It's a basic question I think most thoughtful people ponder from time to time. Many might answer this question with popular ideas, "to be happy", "to be successful", "to give to others", "to be a good parent" and so on. While none of these goals are in themselves wrong, they fall short in fully answering the question of why we're on this earth. The Shorter Catechism provides the simple, yet profound, answer, "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." In a nutshell, our main purpose, our main goal in life should be to glorify God. (You can read the following scripture texts as proof for this statement, Psalm 86, Isaiah 60:21, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31, Romans 11:36, Revelation 4:11) And I just have to share two of my favorite verses from this group: 1 Corinthians 6:20, 10:31, "For you were bought at a price (that price is Christ's sacrifice on the cross.); therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." and "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." I am convinced that a Christian may strive for the things mentioned above. The difference is that once we know Christ, our purpose is different. Instead of seeking, for example, the praise of men for doing a good job, we will rather seek to glorify God not only by doing the best job we can but by also giving God credit when we are recognized for our efforts. Revelation 4:11, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created." I love this verse, it's so full of awe and praise for God. God is worthy to receive our glory and honor because He has made us and it is only by His sovereign pleasure that we are here. He provides us with all that we have; He has provided us with our lives. May this simple truth sink down into our hearts and minds as we work through even the mundane tasks of our lives. Even writing this, I have been reminded of how frequently I complain. May God be pleased to bring these verses and this topic to my mind the next time I do... As for my chipboard tag...I recently purchased some verses from Verve Stamps and was itching to ink one up. This is another favorite verse; it's so prayerful to God, asking for those things that are so needed during our Christian walk. I was inspired to create a tag by a recent post by Julie. I'm not sure I've ever created a tag like this before but it was a fun project! The polka dot/swirl background was created using two sets from Papertryink (and I have to gush about their Vanilla Cream ink again...oh man, it is good stuff!). The buttons are also from PTI. The scalloped paper on the bottom of the tag is from October Afternoon, tiny rhinestones are from Taylored Expressions, and the twill is from SU! (Gee, I think I covered half of the manufacturers out there in this one project!) This was a great topic and I pray that you're blessed by what the SALT team has created! Please hop over and take a look and, if you're feeling inspired to create something based on the challenge, leave us a comment with a link back to your blog or gallery!