THE POINT OF LIFE

I used to wonder about human existence — here today, gone tomorrow; come with nothing, leave with nothing.  We all arrive one way and invariably return to dust, irrespective of the lives we live and decisions we make while alive.  Does it matter at all what happens between a man’s birth-day and the day he or she fades away? What is the point of life? — Then I learned this truth: God created everyone for a purpose. That is when I discovered the point of life: fulfillment of God’s purpose.

There is something God needed done on earth, that is why He chose you to be on earth at this particular time and season.  He packaged you with everything you will need to fulfill His purpose for your life within the timeframe He has given you: gift, talent, personality, creativity, strength, resources, etc.  While you are still alive, God is counting on you to deliver this package to earth. It doesn’t matter how rich or powerful you become; as far as God is concerned, the true measure of success on earth is fulfillment of purpose.  Let us discuss 3 critical truths about purpose that you should take into serious consideration:  God’s purpose will prevail, only you can fulfill His purpose for your life, you have a limited time.

This is one of my favorite bible quotes, “many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” I turned my life (plans) around the day I discovered and understood this bible verse in the book of proverbs (19:21).  I had several goals and aspirations that I planned to go after.  I trained in school, researched, invested time, money and other resources in these dreams. These were great pursuits, but they weren’t in line with what I have come to believe is God’s purpose for my life.  I made this radical decision because I don’t just want to be prosperous by society’s standards, I want to be fully fulfilled at the end of my life.  Grace Bluerock (hospice-care social worker and author) noted this as one of the 9 most common regrets people have at the end of life, “they wished they had chosen work that was in line with their purpose.” Don’t wait until your final days to grasp this truth, a life without pursuit of purpose is not worth living.

Secondly, only you can fulfil God’s purpose for your life.  God doesn’t create duplicates, that is why you have a unique identification called DNA.  Your DNA is the genetic material, or instructions, that make you who you are.  It is made up of specific interlocking-arrangements of only 4 bases. While everyone’s DNA contains the same 4 bases, no one can claim to have your specific set of interlocking-arrangements.  In the same way, while everyone was created with gifts, talents, creativity, etc., no one on earth can claim to have your specific set of endowment from God. He packaged you according to the purpose He has for you. Only you have, and will ever have in the history of earth, the ability to do what God intends to do on earth through you. Big or small as it may be, it was important enough to God, that He sent you here to fulfill it on His behalf. Your assignment is trapped inside of you. Your deepest heart desires and godly inclinations, the ones that give you a flash of fulfilment when you meditate on, are the outcries of your purpose yearning to be exposed. If you are not sure of what your purpose on earth is, ask your creator.

And now, the third critical fact about your purpose; you have a limited time to accomplish it.  I have heard people say, “you have a life-time to do this or that”, to imply that there is plenty of time to get something done.  One problem with the statement is that a life-time is limited, it does not last forever.  The book of job (14:5) in the bible speaks bluntly of this, “a man’s days are numbered. You (God) know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set.” The other problem with the statement is that nobody knows the total length of time he or she has been assigned, or have remaining on earth. Your last day on earth could be much closer or much further away than you can imagine.

Don’t waste the days, weeks, months and years ahead of you.  When you wake up every morning, consider the day a blessing from God, and yet another opportunity to empty yourself of the wonderful things He placed inside of you in order for you to fulfill His purpose for your life. If you have not already done so, discover your gift from God, refine it and serve your purpose to the world.

This is the point of life.