WHY DO WE LIVE?

Living is eternal, but living on earth is temporal.

Two guiding principles can lead us to understanding the purpose of life. First, it must be endless. God will not give a temporal purpose to an eternal thing. Second, it must be relevant on earth and beyond. In view of the two principles, money, houses, cars, marriage and many others are good, but because they are temporal and only useful on earth, they do not fit the criteria.

The Creator’s purpose for His creatures must be documented somewhere as a manual. It also should be experienced by those created for it. I believe that the Holy Bible is the manual for the purpose. Our experiences can also serve as examples for relating to the purpose.

In his search for meaning, the author of Ecclesiastes, who is also referred to as the teacher, started the book with a shocking statement, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.” Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2NIV). The author is not saying there is no purpose, but everything is meaningless to him.

There are different uses for the vessels in God’s master plan, but there is only one main purpose. This purpose is basically the only goal for everything we think, say and do. If it is not the goal, then we are missing the purpose of life.

Jesus says, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4 NIV). The work Jesus completed was His Father’s work. That means you and I can bring glory to God by completing the tasks He gave us.

Paul states, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul emphasizes, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:11-12 NIV). 

Peter states, “God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God’s generosity can flow through you. Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10-11 NLT).

The glory of God is the reason you and I live. If you carefully check God’s blueprint for man’s living, you will see that we were all created for God’s glory. However, after the fall of man, the devil introduced fake purposes by making us believe that life is about wealth, personal honour, pleasure and other related things. These fake purposes have introduced many different ways of seeking God outside of Jesus. God’s standard is still valid today. It can’t be changed by the low standard the devil has set for the world. Any other purpose outside God’s glory means, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT).

God’s glory is not like tithing. He deserves everything. Whatever your work is, God is to be glorified in you and through you. Those who are not in Christ are using their potential wrongly. They change perspectives when they receive Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Those who used to write non-Christian books, songs, or films often change to Christian productions. You may have received many awards from different organizations and individuals. These awards are probably hung in your office or home. As a result of that, you may be feeling you are living meaningfully. If the purpose of all that you have done is for God’s glory, I congratulate you; but if not, you need to start living for it today.

(Excerpts from the book, titled, THE MEANINGFUL LIFE, by Pusonnam Yiri)