The Purpose of Life
What is My Purpose in Life?
Written by Charles Bedwell
Have you ever heard this question or asked this question yourself before? People living a secular life, and even professing Christians, constantly ponder this question. Many even try to find solace or answers in "self-help" secular and Christian books, fortune tellers (witches), and other means of mystical arts to attempt to "understand themselves" and find what it is they are destined or supposed to do in this life.
In fact, one of the most popular books today in modern Christianity is Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life, where Warren talks about this topic. However, he over-complicates the simplicity of the truth. So in most of Christianity you will see people seeking answers in something overly powerful and extravagant and in science you will see people seeking answers in themselves and in the unexplainable phenomena of this life. What is the truth? What is it that God wants of you?
Diversity and the Gifts of the Spirit
Many Christians may ask, "Well, what about the gifts of The Holy Spirit? There are different gifts from God, so doesn't that mean we all have a different destiny?" Answer: No. While it is true that there are many wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned in the Bible for those God calls, this doesn't change what God wants or expects of us as His children. We have to remember that God is a magnificent God of diversity, and He blesses His people in whatever way He wishes. There is nothing you or I can do to be qualified for any particular gifts of the Spirit, but it is God Himself who decides what we will be able to do.
Romans 9:19-24 ...'You will say to me then, Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will? But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, Why have you made me like this? Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Man doesn’t decide what He is able to do, God does. It is pointless to beat your head against a wall trying to understand or create a gift for yourself. No matter what or how much God has gifted you with, you are still very special and what He expects of you is still not complicated to understand.
1 Corinthians 12:12-14,20-25 ...'For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.'
Verse 11 gives a nice summary of this thought ...'But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.'
The Simple Truth of God’s Desire for Us
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we see a particular truth being proclaimed about mankind. When Jesus was asked by the rich man what He must do to enter Heaven, what did Jesus say to Him?
Matthew 19:16,17 ...'Now behold, one came and said to Him, Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? So He said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'
Even King Solomon spoke much about the constant toils of man’s life in the book of Ecclesiastes. The book itself was a personal testimony of Solomon's desire to fulfill the needs of the flesh, whatever his eyes laid hold of. Throughout that great book, he shows how senseless and profitless it is to seek only after yourself in your life. He concludes that book with the following scripture:
Ecclesiastes 12:11-14 ...'The words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars are like well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd. And further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.'
That perfectly sums up what God wants of His people - Keep His Commandments. There isn't any special task or great marvelous feat you must aspire to achieve in life. Believe upon Jesus Christ, and follow His example by keeping the Commandments. That is your sole purpose in life - to bring glory to the name of God through His Son Jesus Christ!
Many professing Christians today have made purposeful attempts at trying to attack the Commandments of God, falsely stating that they were "abolished" at the Cross. Those who say this have completely twisted all of the writings of the Apostle Paul. They state that the Commandments of God and the acts contained within the Mosaic Law (such as Circumcision) are all part of one law. I will not fully delve into that here for this study, but I will just quickly show with one scripture that this is not true. Notice what Paul says here:
1 Corinthians 7:19 ...'Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.'
Does this topic require anymore clarification?? This one verse alone proves the scoffers wrong. He makes a simple statement that the works contained in Moses' Law mean nothing any longer, but that keeping the Commandments of God DOES matter. Paul was not a hypocrite, nor was he someone seeking to be saved by works. If ANYONE proclaimed the truth that we are saved by mercy and grace, it was him. However, he still plainly says that there is a distinction between Moses' Law and God’s Law, and that the Commandments of God in His Holy Law would naturally be a way of life for those who follow Jesus. Some even try to go so far as to say that Jesus' Commandments and God's Commandments are not the same. That is also folly because Paul states that "the Commandments of God" is what matters, showing NO distinction between the Father and the Son.
Need more Biblical proof? Look at a few other writings and teachings in the New Testament from Jesus and the apostles concerning man's duty:
John 14:15,21 ...'If you love Me, keep My commandments. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.'
John 15:10 ...'If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
Revelation 22:14 ...'Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.'
And my favorite of all ...
1 John 5:1-5 ...'Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?'
The whole package is delivered there in 1 John 5. He shows that those who believe in Jesus overcome the world, and whoever overcomes the world will also be keeping God’s Commandments – and THAT will be the SIGN that we love God and we love the people of this world!
Merely saying is not believing, and believing is not just saying. What is it that you must do to be saved and to stay in God's favor? Believe in Jesus with all of your heart, and live AS He did by the abiding of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was a Commandment-keeper and taught ALL men to continue to be even after His death.
It is not merely a "believer" that Satan is really going to be seeking to destroy in the very last days. He himself believes!
Revelation 12:17 ...'And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.'
The scriptures all speak the same pure truth, my friends - 1) Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul, your strength, and your mind, and Love your neighbor as yourself. 2) Believe upon Jesus Christ, the Son of God – that He died for your sins, resurrected after 3 days in the grave, and now LIVES at the right hand of God! By doing those 2 things, you ARE walking in the footsteps of your Savior and doing God’s will for you. Jesus said MORE than once that this is the very heart of God's Law in His Commandments, something many of the leaders of the Jews did not understand because of self pride. It is not more complicated than this. This is the simple Bible truth about salvation and the purpose of your life. Confusion comes from the devil, but the Lord Jesus gives you no heavy burdens or difficult doctrines. He only asks that you live by faith and overcome the world through Him, living as He did, as a reflecting light shining unto the world.
Please CLICK HERE to see much more information regarding God's commandments.