The Three Letters on Every Page

Johann Sebastian Bach composed over a thousand works in his lifetime — cantatas, fugues, concertos, and some of the most breathtaking music the world has ever heard. But what strikes scholars most is not the notes on his manuscripts. It is three small letters he inscribed at the bottom of nearly every composition: S.D.G. — Soli Deo Gloria. "To God alone be the glory."

Bach did not write for the concert halls of Europe. He spent most of his career as a church musician in Leipzig, composing week after week for Sunday services. The work was relentless. The pay was modest. The congregation probably had no idea they were hearing music that would endure for centuries. But Bach understood something about purpose that we easily forget: it is not the size of the audience that gives work its meaning — it is the One for whom the work is done.

The Apostle Paul put it plainly: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23). Purpose is not found in applause or recognition. It is found when we dedicate even the ordinary tasks of our lives to the glory of the Almighty.

You may never compose a symphony. But every act of faithfulness — every kindness, every honest day of labor — can carry those same three letters at the bottom of the page.