This is the last last worship day of August. It's already the end of summer! Time flies doesn't it?

Well, by the way, there are quite a few people whom others think very wise or intelligent. We think they know so much that they don't need to know anything more. However, do those people really know enough? One time a pastor asked a young man if he knew what the purpose of clothes were. The young man answered: to be put on. Then the pastor asked about the purpose of shoes, watches, and other things, and the young man succeeded in answering with all of the right answers. He was a bright man! At last, the pastor asked him, "Why are you here? What is the purpose of your life?" "Well," replied the young man. "That is the question that I haven't found an answer for yet."

Another time, a certain professor gave a big question to his college students; he wanted them to tell him what was the most important thing in their lives. Most of the students answered that the answer was money. Only a few said that it was to find their purpose of life.

We all know where we came from, but why are we here, and where are we heading? That's an important question to consider.

One of my friends, who is a pastor with a lively sense of humour, asked a group of children one day where they came from, and they all answered with loud voices: "From their mothers!" He continued with his line of questioning in asking where their mothers came from. And, the children yelled out "From our grandmothers!" "And before them?" he asked. "From our grand-grandmothers!" came the answer. "And before them?" "From our grand-grand-grandmothers!" And this pastor kept asking, and the children kept answering. And the children grew tired of saying it. Now, in the Japanese language, "Grand" is "Hi" [pronounced "hee"]. So, they were eventually saying "Hi-hi-hi-hi.." At last a boy stood up and answered "I know! It's the manto-hihi!" Everyone laughed. This was a kind of monkey.

Well, according to the Bible, in which we believe, we were created by the hands of God. The first man was made from soil, or clay. Out of the ground a man was made. However, it was when God blew into his nostrils that a man started to actually live. Just think of those things you possess that you actually made with your own hands! Such things that we make carry a special value for us, and they are so lovely. Still more our children! No matter how bad or silly they may be from time to time, they are still more lovely and precious to us than our other possessions. Remember, first of all, that we are from God. We are creatures, or creations of God Almighty!

Then the next one; why are we here? Why do we exist here? There is a Christian lady named Yoneko Tawara. When she was a teenager, her mother died. The trauma of that event caused her to begin searching and wandering. She asked everyone around her if they knew what the meaning of life was. She asked her father, her teachers, friends, acquaintances, strangers, everyone that she could, but no one could give her an answer that she could accept as sufficient enough. So she became despondent in life, and tried to kill herself. She tried jumping in front of train as it was passing by. It was by some miracle that she survived. She lost her legs, one whole arm and two fingers. Now again, when she had recovered from the darkness of that tragedy, she once more didn't have any hope in life. So she tried to kill herself with sleeping pills. But, she was unsuccessful. Then, one day a missionary came to see her at the hospital with an interpreter. They very patiently told her about salvation and God's love, and gradually she opened up to them. Finally, she accepted Christ into her life. Now, with only three fingers, she can do everything that a woman needs to do as a wife and mother. She has a husband and two daughters, and she cooks and sews, and can do all of the housework! [It is the power of knowing the Truth].

Back to the original example of the young man, everything we have, such as watches, clothes, shoes, books, etc. are just things that we can use. All such things are useful to we people who made them. Now, what about God. God made us. How are we useful to Him? Read Col.1:16 please. We were made to show God's glory -- and God's love through us! Remember Ms. Yoneko Tawara, who is living for God now. She has only three fingers! A person who is living without God's fellowship would feel that it was vain to keep living. With the strength of God's fellowship, she is shining as a Christian lady!

No matter what situation we are living in, we are supposed to be shining as Christians. We are to be showing His glory. Here is another example; a Christian couple who distribute gospel tracts regularly to their neighbours. They've been doing it for months now. But, last week, the husband became sick with a fever. I felt very sorry for him, and called to encourage him to take more rest. But his wife said that her husband was suffering, though he was sick, but his Christian joy in serving God was so great that he enjoyed doing what he could. Being a doctor, he should have rested, especially after coming home from seeing many patients every day. However, despite his work schedule, he chose to do this distributing on his free time -- inspite of fatigue and with great joy he has been doing that. I really think that he is one of those people who are showing God's glory.

I remember another person who was like this. She was a Christian lady who died of cancer at the age of 43. When she knew that she had cancer, we were surprised at how calmly and peacefully she accepted the fact. She even thanked God for her disease! She was diagnosed to have only one month to live, and yet no one who visited her at the hospital could believe that she was truly dying. She was happily shining, all the time. She even encouraged people! I am sure that her attitudes came from the fact that she knew where she was going.

So I say this. We are all to know the reason we are here, and the place that we, as Christians, are going to. Then, we can show people God's glory through our lives.

Translated by Junko Okamoto - Edited for the Net by Shido
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