As we continue to think about what is the point of life, I want us to consider how putting God at the centre of our lives is part of the answer, and to think about how we can do so.

We've already thought about the clear statement, often repeated in the bible, that the number one goal of life is to love God. That's a truth to which all of us would give assent if we are Christians, and it is the foundation of all that Jesus lived and taught. Please look at the text of Bible:Matthew+6:19-24.

Here is part of Jesus' manifesto for living. He asks us where our best energies are being directed. Is it towards this present life - getting wealth, material comforts, a good job, retirement benefits, a great home, or anything which is solely about life on earth? Of course we need at least the minimum of the things that makes life possible. Indeed the bible teaches us that God wants us to enjoy this life. But Jesus goes on in this chapter to teach, as we were reminded two Sundays ago that we do not have to worry about such things because God really does care for us and will provided us we what we need in this life if we trust him. Jesus' question here is, "Where is your heart set?" If it is on this life chiefly then we have the wrong thing at the centre of our focus.

Verses 22-23 may seem out of place here, but they depend on a subtle wordplay. The word which the NIV translates as good is literally 'single', but it also denotes generosity, and the bad eye of v 23 is a metaphor for stinginess and jealousy. These verses, therefore, also attack a preoccupation with selfish materialism and call for wholehearted devotion to God.

Jesus ends this section of teaching by saying clearly that we have to choose our priority, for we cannot serve both God and material things - whichever comes first in our priorities will be our true master.

Now please look with me at Bible:2Tim+2:1-7. Here St Paul is writing to a young man to advise him on how to live the Christian life. First (v.1) he reminds him of the grace that is his in Jesus. Grace means God's undeserved goodness. It's a reminder that everything starts with what God has done for us and goes on with what he is continuing to do for us. God-centred living is not about gritting your teeth and making more of an effort. It is about opening our lives to receive the resources of God available through Jesus, which the holy Spirit applies to our lives. But it does require, as Paul goes on to say, our commitment and co-operation. We have to stand up & be counted, to endure (v.2-3). Then Paul gives us three images to help us see what God-centred living means.

• The soldier serving to please his commanding officer
• The athlete competing according to the rules
• The farmer working hard to ensure a good crop

Each of these is an example of commitment and submission - don't get distracted by civilian affairs, follow a strict training regime, work hard - obey the commanding officer, keep the competition rules, work with the land and weather. Similarly we have to put God first in our lives, and we have to obey his instructions for living. How do we feel about this?

For most of us this is not an attractive recipe for life - commitment & obedience are not high on our list of positives!! We'd rather drift along, doing our own thing in our own way, but Paul was warning Timothy that you miss the best in life if you live like that. Only God-centred living is truly rewarding. Our naturally selfish human nature rebels against this, and our spiritual enemy the devil encourages us to take a lax view of life, so we need things to help us stay God-centred so that we can enjoy the life in all its fulness which God offers us. So let's look at some ideas which may help us stay God-centred.

• Make time to pray every day - at a time that suits your biorhythm & has some flexibility. Just imagine Jesus is sitting in front of you and talk to him about your day, gone and ahead, asking him to help you live it in harmony with God. (Luke 5:16 - "But he (Jesus) would withdraw to deserted places and pray.")
• Put something on your desk, cooker, computer, CD player, wherever you frequently go & will see it, and use it as a reminder to talk to God in your thoughts about each activity you are undertaking. (1 Samuel 7:12 - "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, 'Thus far the Lord has helped us.'" [Ebenezer means "stone of help" it was a visual reminder, like many such monuments in the Old Testament])
• Write out a bible promise or command or other verse which has spoken to you and keep it in your purse or wallet or somewhere you will see it frequently. Let it remind you to apply that verse to your daily life. (Psalms 119:11 - "I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.")
• Put your bible on top of the TV or your current reading book or magazine, and discipline yourself to read a few verses of the bible before you turn on the TV or read something else, asking God to help you apply it to your relationship with him and to daily life. (Deuteronomy 17:18-19 - "The king shall have a copy of this law written for him... It shall remain with him and he shall read in it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, diligently observing all the words of this law.")
• Talk honestly to fellow Christians about your life & its challenges and ask their advice about how you can stay God-centred. Joining a regular small group where you can build up mutual confidence & support helps in this. (Romans 1:11-12 - "For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you - or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.")
• Make a habit of thanking God for the things that are happening in your life, expressing trust that he will turn them to good. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.")
• Say a brief prayer (in your mind or aloud) before every meal: meals are good focal points every day. (Acts 27:35 - Paul "took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat.")

If these ideas seem a bit artificial to you at the moment, please do try them nonetheless. Most of us need some reminders like this, because staying God-centred does not come naturally to our sinful human nature. If we invest the right spirit in what we are doing they will become natural, helpful parts of our lives. Even Jesus learned good habits. (Luke 4:16 - "When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.")

Think for a moment about a good friendship you enjoy, or a good relationship with a spouse, parent or child. Is not one of the things which makes that relationship good the way you give quality time to that person? God deliberately sets these relationships before us as analogies for how he wants to share our lives.

He is like the best Father you can imagine, who always has time for you, always listens to you and wants the very best for your life. He wants you to be like a loving child responding to his fatherly love by delighting to be with him, and sharing your life with him. I am fortunate in being able to remember spending happy time like that when I was little hanging around with my Dad when he was doing things to the car or house, before his job in London and Church activities made him too busy!! But even if you have no positive memories of time with your parents think how you would wish it to have been and make that your reminder of how God wants to share with you. (1 John 3:1 - "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are." Hebrews 12:9 - "Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits and live?")

Jesus called himself the friend of his disciples. (John 15:14 - "You are my friends if you do what I command you.") He taught that the way to enjoy life to the full is to keep in a close friendship with him, so close it's like the branches of a vine which are attached to the stem. (John 15:4 - "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.") So what's the point of life? Part of the answer is that we are here to share a close relationship with God, and we need to be God-centred in daily life to do so. Let me end with a quotation:
Just as husband and wife live out their lives against the backdrop of being married, so do we live out the entirety of our lives against the backdrop of a constant relationship with God. He is always there, always loving us, always ready to listen to us. As we recognise his unwavering commitment to us, we are able to live in the day to day adventure and challenge of his presence. We enjoy the dialogue. It's as if we say, "Oh, I must talk to him about this!" (John Guest in Only a Prayer Away. Christianity Today, Vol. 40, no. 2.)