I have to admit it, growing up in suburban Detroit back in the 80’s I was a big fan of Prince. That guy was ‘the bomb’! He made the color purple chic, and was even able to rock that Austin Powers ascot looking thing and convince us all it was cool!
A few weeks prior to his untimely death, I was mindlessly flipping through TV channels when I came across a documentary on ‘The greatest Super Bowl Halftime shows of all time’. Naturally, I was intrigued. I set down the remote, and tuned in just as they described the 2007 performance by, you guessed it, Prince. The city of Miami was hosting the game and had experienced torrential downpours the entire day. It was so bad that Prince’s handlers actually asked him if he wanted to move forward with the performance. (Did I mention Miami’s stadium does not have a dome?) The rainfall not only made it difficult, but even dangerous to perform. Unfazed and even provoked by the obstacles, Prince embraced the rain, took the stage and proceeded to take 100,000 or so fans to another place! Somehow one guy with a guitar made people forget about the weather, forget about the game and take them to another place for about 12 minutes. Of course the performance crescendos with the drenched crowd singing in unison………wait for it…….”Purple Rain”. I remember just watching and thinking “WOW! That guy has an amazing gift from God!” yet simultaneously asking, “God, were you glorified in that?” It’s a good question to ask yourself, “Am I using the gifts, skills and talents God has given me in such a way that He receives glory?” How you answer that question will determine whether or not you are fulfilling God’s very purpose for your life. See, you were created for the glory of god:
Isaiah 43:6-7 “. . . bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory whom I formed and made”
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying Prince needs to sing “Amazing grace” or “How Great Thou Art”, but I am saying in whatever we do, our motivation should be the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says “so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God”.
Apparently there is a way to drink coffee that glorifies God. There is a way to eat a burger that glorifies God. Whatever we do, we should do it in a manner that glorifies God. Are you using the unique gifts skills and talents that God has given you in such a way that people see His glory?