Purpose in Life
(Note:
this series was prepared as an accompaniment for the “40 Days of Purpose”
campaign. The errors remain those of this author).
Man
and Purpose
The
World’s View
There
are many Christians who will tell you that “at heart, Christianity is basic
common sense.” In no area is this statement more false than in examining the
purpose of man. The world’s view is based upon the evolutionary viewpoint.
Since we cannot allow God any role in our public life (religion is best kept
silent, you know) it obviously follows that the creation or evolution of man is
simply a biological accident. Accidents cannot have purpose, therefore asking
things like “what is the purpose of man”” is to pose a meaningless question.
The view (contemporary opinion to the contrary notwithstanding) is an ancient
one; Solomon expresses it rather well in Ecclesiastes.
To
this modern assertion there are three common reactions:
- There
is the “intellectual” approach. You tell yourself there is nothing you
can do about it, and base your life on “unyielding despair.” Life is
meaningless; more than that, it could never have a meaning. The result
is the bitter cynicism and lack of nobility we see today. If life is
meaningless, then there is no right or wrong – just that which is
beneficial.
- There
is the do it yourself approach. This covers a wide variety of thoughts;
New Age philosophy, bioethics, and any number of self-made religions. One
particularly humorous (unintended) example is Scientology. We are all
recycled Thetans (another planet); all our problems come from our past
lives on this planet. Our mission is to spread Scientology. (The guy who
invented this, L. Ron Hubbard, was a science fiction writer. Does it
show?)
- The
third reaction is rather ancient. You check with God on the subject.
God’s
POV
It
stands for “point of view”. Your creator has indeed made you for a purpose:
- There
is the grand purpose of mankind as a whole – to serve God and enjoy him
forever. He is given stewardship of this world – but the aim of God is
that we will be in a deep and personal relationship with him.
- Of
course, that purpose applies to all of us. But for each of us, God has
devised an individual purpose. We are not to be mass produced identical
parts; we are to be (like Him in whose image we were made) a person. And
a person has an individual purpose in the kingdom of God.
- So
that we might fulfill that purpose, God is pleased to give us the various
gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is by discovering these that we often discover
our purpose, just as you discover the purpose of a tool by seeing what it
is fitted for.
Forever
Eyes
The
curious thing, to modern observers, is that the longing for a purpose in life
is so strong. They explain it in evolutionary terms; people with a sense of
purpose tend to make it to reproductive age more so than those who don’t have
such a sense of purpose. There is an older explanation, never disproved. It
is simply this: if you have a longing, there exists a satisfaction of that
longing. You long for sex; it exists. You long for purpose, it exists too.
But
– unlike the biological view – this purpose might not be fulfilled in your
lifetime. You are designed to love God and enjoy Him forever – not just for
your threescore and ten. That’s a chief difficulty with the New Age methods;
they must be accomplished in your lifetime. Or at least look like they can
be. But those who see with “forever eyes” see things differently. A solid
example is this: the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages often took two or
even three lifetimes to complete. By our test today, this could not be a
purpose for man. But in the age of Faith, it was more than satisfactory.
The
purpose which God gives to man is, like God himself, eternal. Which is fitting
to the creature God designed to live forever.
God
and your purpose
He
has done great things
God
did not simply declare that man has a purpose. Nor did he simply write down
the purpose of your life. He has taken actions beyond the capability of man so
that his purposes for us might be achieved. He sent his Son to die for our
sins – and in the process has established the church as his body on Earth.
Why?
- First,
so that we might fulfill His purposes! You are too small to have
such purposes – but in his great purposes your own purposes will fit quite
snugly.
- In
the process, he has designed the human species to be specifically capable
of fulfilling those purposes. We are the species that reasons about God.
- Most
of these purposes boil down to this: that we should know Him. Knowing
Him, we should adore Him. Adoring Him, we should imitate Him. Our
purposes come to this: the imitation of Christ, the perfect human being.
He
has provided the church
It
is seldom noted, but the church provides the arena in which most of us will
find our specific purposes. He has provided the church to us, and that church
assists us in fulfilling our specific purposes:
- First,
for our understanding. We are like actors with a role to play. Without
the other actors in the play, our part would make no sense – even to us.
- Next,
so that we might be encouraged. For the teacher, this is most welcome.
Often discouragement comes; it helps then to have your brothers there to
encourage you.
- Finally,
so that we might be part of something bigger than ourselves individually.
As our efforts mesh with others, we see accomplishment beyond our own
ability.
Prophecy
Indeed,
God has also shown us the future – in that veiled method known to us as
prophecy. By this method God has shown us how his purposes will end up in
victory:
- Of
ourselves, we cannot defeat evil in this world. But God assures us that
our efforts are not in vain, even in the most trying of circumstances.
Victory belongs to the Lord.
- We
can see forward in this – but also backwards in time. We can see how
prophecy has been fulfilled, thus increasing our faith One thing in
particular we can see: the church as she really is. We see her weak and
tentative – but we can see the church in the past and in the times to come
as being the stalwart ambassador of God. Even the martyrs knew this; the
blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.
- Greatest
of all is this: we see the combat now; but we can also see the victory
ahead. When your cause is sure, your efforts are stronger, for they are
never in vain.
God
and Man
All
well and good, teacher, but how do I work this out in practice?
Discovering
your purpose
God
will be quite pleased to show you the purpose of your life – if you will ask,
and then listen. How?
- First,
consider the gifts of the Spirit he has given you. Some are those in
general, but others are specific to you, individually. Is there something
you’ve discovered that you’re really good at – of which you had no idea?
It points to your purpose; what he calls you to do, he equips you to do.
God’s provision is always available for God’s supply.
- Next,
what answers has he given to you? Well, first – did you ask him to show
you the purpose in your life? He will answer. Listen to him in prayer;
he wants you to hear. Listen to him in song; often one hymn sticks to
you like none other. Is there a Scripture that your heart leaps to hear,
that your faith is anxious to claim? Indeed, has He opened certain doors,
and closed others?
Testing
and Forging
It
should not be necessary to remind you that in this life you will have trouble.
If you haven’t, I question whether you’ve been paying attention. Trials,
suffering, testing – all these are guaranteed to the child of God. Usually, he
is either testing you or forging you:
- Testing
you: he wants to demonstrate just what you can do – and what you won’t
do. Like any good teacher, when the exam is over, he lets you see your
paper – so you can learn from your mistakes. Most students don’t think
that a test is part of learning. It is. Often, it’s the large part.
- Forging
you: other times he knows exactly what’s going on – because he is forging
you for the circumstances to come. He is preparing you as an instrument
for his purposes – which, therefore, tells you more about your purpose in
life. Sometimes it’s beat to shape, trim to fit, paint to match. Be
patient, and see his work in you.
Accepting
your purpose
There
is a reason why we pray, “thy will be done.” Our purpose is not ours to pick
and choose; it is his to give. Ultimately, it’s either “thy will” or “my
will” that is done. Upon that choice lie heaven and hell.
Which
means, of course, that we are not to be picky about the purposes he gives us.
In particular, it means we are not to be choosy about the people with whom he
surrounds us. Some of us are purposed to work with some unlovely people.
Thank God for it
Thank
God for it – and work heartily at it. You have found the right thing to do;
now do it in the right way.