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TheOne GreatGoal inLife
nited States senator preached a sermon in a
Methodist pulpit in Los Angeles. Of all things,
imagine a well-known senator saying that
patriotism is a false god to many people! And
he is right.
"Love of country can transcend the !ove of God," he
said, "and we must, in time ofstress, avoid making
patriotism a religion."
He said a number of other things l might have said
myself. Among the idols professing Christians worship,
he cited prosperity, science, patriotism, peace-and sorne
people actua!ly make an idol of the Bible, strange as that
may sound. Sorne, he said, worship the Bible for itself,
instead ofvaluing it for the information
it
contains:
truths necessary for salvation, but also truths which guide
to a complete way of life.
What is your idol? What are you really dedicated to? Is
it earning a living-making money? What absorbs your
mind, your thoughts, your time- what are you really
devoted to? Is it God-above all else? Or is it your hobby,
your wife or husband, your children, your borne, your
sports- or amusements and entertainments? What do you
keep your mind on most of the time? What most occupies
your interest? Is it friends-society? Is it people- or is it
things?
It surely couldn't be God, could it? Probably not. And,
ifnot, then it is anido!. You are breaking the first
commandment. You have this other god before Him.
Just what is religion?
Is it merely an incidental interest, secondary to many
other things, such as earning a living, your borne, your
family, your friends, hobbies, sports, entertainments?
Possibly secondary to TV or movies?
Religion is your connection with God- your
relationsbip with Him. Religion is realizing the
PURPOSE
of your life-the reason why God had you to be born, the
reason you draw breath and exist, the purpose or
ultimate goal ofyour life-and how to live that life so as
to arrive there.
I have written of the seven laws of success. You may
have the free booklet
The Seven Laws ofSuccess
by
The
PLAIN TRUTH April 1978
writing our office nearest you. They are real!y the seven
laws of
LIFE.
They are the seven laws of
RELIGION.
Yet
most people do not know, or practice, or apply, a single
one ofthem.
The first
ÍS
to have the
RIGHT GOAL.
That goal-God's purpose for having put the breath of
life in you-is that you be born ofGod, to share with Him
the glory of creation. to inherit His divine nature, to be
like Him-to do what He does, to accomplish what He
accomplishes, enjoy what He enjoys-peace, happiness,
joy, resplendent glory in life everlasting.
No other goal could be as great. It is superlative.
But what are you, now? Justa mass of matter, put
together like a machine. Your present existence has to be
constantly sustained. You have to keep drawing a breath
of air into your lungs about every two or three seconds.
You have to eat food on the average of three times every
day. You haveto take care of eliminating the wastes from
digested food, and of bathing and cleansing your body.
You have to maintain and sustain your physical body to
keep on existing-and even then you are aging and
degenerating every day and every year; the most certain
thing in this existence we call "life" is that your machine
is going to run down- you are going to die.
Actually, we have to simply keep pumping life into
ourselves constantly-daily- to continue existing- to
continue consciousness.
Yet most people keep on, day after day, year after
year, pumping that existence into themselves, with no
more purpose than to try to be comfortable, free from
pain, and to please the five senses- with their minds on
the passing physical and material things of the moment–
things that are not lasting, and are soon gone.
Unless God's own
CHARACTER
is being formed and
developed in your mind and your life, replacing the
carnality that is there now, you shall have missed your
goal. God's purpose is to create within you, during this
life, a new and perfect character, so that you may be
given eternal life- self-containing, inherent life.
Ifyou are converted-that is, ifyou do once establish
actual contact with God-He
(Continued on page 40)