One Purpose
You and I did not create ourselves. We have a Creator. Then we spend our lives learning how God is using us for His purposes. Think about a few of the “nameless” people in the Bible and how their lives were used to serve specific purposes in God’s broad plan: Naaman’s wife’s slave girl (2 Kings 5:1-5), the officials in the court of King Ahaseurus (Esther 2:21-23); the boy with the lunch box (John 6:8-9).
No one is an accident; no one “accidentally” gets pregnant and has a baby. It’s all designed by God because God wants heaven to be as populated as possible. God created this world for a purpose (Isa. 45:18) and He created you and me for a purpose: to love Him supremely, glorify Him through our lives, and to serve our fellowman sacrificially in whatever realm of life we are in.
Neal McCoy sang a (country music) song years ago in which there was this line: “A man without a dream is like a car with no gasoline.” It is equally, perhaps more true, to say that a man without a purpose is like a car with no gasoline. At least no internal compass.
When you and I live our lives for Christ, then our lives have meaning. To live a life without purpose is to be a zombie, the “living dead.”
When you and I live our lives for Christ, we can live simple lives (2 Cor. 11:3). There is simplicity in Christ. Living by a financial budget helps you focus on what is important financially. Living by a “spiritual budget” helps you focus on what is spiritually important. If it doesn’t help you serve God, it’s not important. I’m not saying it’s sinful; it’s just not important – so who cares who wins the national championship game? Ultimately, it’s not important.
When you and I live our lives for Christ, we can live focused lives. Rachel has lost 15 pounds in the last three months partly because she has focused on counting calories and carbs. It works. When you and I focus on honoring Christ in our lives, it helps us keep life in perspective and focus on what is good and right. Too many people live lives of distraction, like the scene from Home Alone when Kevin McCallister runs through the house screaming and waving his arms wildly. Some people live their lives like that – unfocused. They try to do everything and accomplish nothing. They change directions, jobs, marriages, relationships. They change all the externals without realizing that the problem is their internal compass is off.
When you and I live our lives for Christ, we will be prepared for eternity. Our lives will not be empty; they’ll be full. “Vanity” is used 27 times in the book of Ecclesiastes. Life lived without God as the center is vain.
It is a short-sighted goal to desire an earthly legacy. We weren’t put on this earth to be remembered. We were created to show God we love Him supremely and we are willing to serve our fellowman sacrificially. That’s living a life of purpose. That will prepare us for eternity.
Paul Holland