A Life with Purpose

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In the Old Testament, Solomon expresses his dismay at life – “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.” (Ecclesiastes 1:14) His dismay becomes even more pointed when he confesses all the great things he had done.  Listing his great achievements, he says: “And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.  I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for my toil.  Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 2:10-11)

Solomon had begun his kingship with great blessings from God, but he had forgotten God and tried to “do things his way.”  Solomon found out that trying to find meaning in life apart from God ended in emptiness and frustration.  Man has only limited enjoyment from the things he does.  The fact is that life without God has no real purpose or meaning.  There is no ultimate significance to human life.  Since man is basically an animal, he has no more value than the rocks on the moon.  It is a philosophy of despair.  William B. Provine, professor of Biological Sciences at Cornell University put it this way:

“There are no gods, no purposes, no goal-directed forces of any kind.  There is no life after death. That’s the end for me.  There is no ultimate foundation for ethics, no ultimate meaning to life, and no free will for humans, either.”

What a tragic view of humanity.  Secularism (or humanism) is rampant in our country today.  This teaches that man is basically good and is able to determine his own values; therefore, there is no real “right” and “wrong.”  Evil does not exist – Sin does not exist – Therefore, there is no need for forgiveness and repentance.  This philosophy has consequences:  Some of the results are an increased use of drugs and alcohol, the killing of old people and sick people, rampant abortions, the acceptance of extreme profanity especially in the movies, the acceptance of pre-marital sexual relations, etc.  In addition, secularism leaves people without real meaning; everything we do in our relationships is judged by whether or not we have built someone’s “self-esteem.”   The fact is that if I came into this world as an evolved part of nature without the hand of a creator, and when I die, I go nowhere (that is the end); then why would I not have trouble with “self-esteem”?

Rick Warren in his book The Purpose Driven Life says: “…your life has profound meaning!  We discover that meaning and purpose only when we make God the reference point of our lives.”  He goes on to say, “Nothing matters more than knowing God’s purposes for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.”   Whatever our profession or our calling in life, the only way we can find meaning in life is to allow the Lord Jesus Christ to be at the center of all we do.  There is no real ultimate meaning in earning a lot of money and gaining a powerful position without the Lord.  Someday we will all pass out of this life, and we will leave all our money and whatever else we have gained in life to someone else.  It will be of no benefit if our loved ones bury our treasures in the casket with us.   It is a wonderful thing that the Lord has created every one of us for a purpose.  Until we realize that, there is no peace, no joy and no ultimate significance to our lives.