I’m enjoying so much re-reading for the 3rd time Rick Warren’s classic book, The Purpose Driven Life. One of the powerful, life-changing statements from the book that I’ve been reflecting on was found in Chapter 7. In that chapter of The Purpose Driven Life, Warren wrote: "Living the rest of your life for the glory of God will require a change in your priorities, your schedule, your relationships, and everything else. It will sometimes mean choosing a difficult path instead of an easy one... .”

In 1978 when I surrendered my life to the Lord, I made a real commitment to love Him, live for Him and serve Him. I didn’t realize all of what that decision would require of me. Right away my priorities began to change as I began to live for the Lord and for others, rather than myself. My schedule changed as well as I began to prioritize meeting with the Lord at the beginning of the day through prayer, Bible study and worship, rather than having Him be an afterthought at the end of the day.

My relationships also began to change as I prioritized and pursued godly relationships, seeking to surround myself with friends who would help me rather than hinder me in my walk with the Lord. The way that I handled my money and possessions began to change as I realized that all that I had belonged to the Lord, and that I was to seek His counsel in every decision I made. Every area of my life began to change as I pursued living life for the glory of the Lord.

I remember in those early days that some of my decisions were indeed difficult to make, but the more that I made them, and the more that I kept the commitment I had made to the Lord, the better my life became. Now, I believe that the Lord is going to reward me greatly when I arrive in heaven because I’ve been keeping my commitment to love and live for Him, but even today I can say that my life has been unbelievably blessed because I’ve been prioritizing living life for the glory of God. In other words, the best decision I ever made in life was to make Jesus my Savior, which brought His forgiveness and the future of heaven into my life. However, the second best decision I ever made was to make Jesus the Lord of my life, which has brought me His fulfillment, as well as His freedom.

I came to faith in Jesus back in 1978 after hearing a man named Andrae Crouch sing, “Jesus is the answer for the world today; above Him there’s no other, Jesus is the way.” Crouch sang another song that also resonated with me. The song said, “If heaven never was promised to me, neither God’s promise to live eternally; it’s been worth just having the Lord in my life; I was living in a world of darkness, and He brought me the light.”

I can honestly say the very best decisions that I’ve ever made in life have been to receive Jesus as my Savior and to “live life for the glory of God.” Although those decisions have required many changes in my priorities, schedule, relationships and everything else – I’ve been incredibly blessed in every arena of life as a result of my commitment to love and live for the Lord. That’s why I want everyone else I know and meet to also receive Jesus as their Savior, and begin living their life “for the glory of God.”

Speaking of “living life for the glory of God,” I’m reminded of another statement from The Purpose Driven Life found in Chapter 8. In that chapter Warren wrote, "Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship. . . . Worship is far more than music. . . . Worship is not just for church services . . . Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship when you do it for the praise, glory, and pleasure of God. The Bible says, 'So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.'"I want to encourage you to practice doing that today and every day for the rest of your life. Live life “for the glory of God,” and you will experience the Lord’s “glory” in every arena of your life.”