What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose for my life? Why am I here? What direction in life do I take? If you're currently asking yourself any of these questions, don’t feel alone. Every human being for thousands of years has asked themselves these very same questions about the meaning of life and their life’s purpose. It's completely natural to ask questions about ourselves and about where our lives are headed. What this means is that we’re not content with our current life situation. We want and need to know more.
Now, while it is important to ask yourself life questions; it's very imperative to know where to find the right answers. Many people today are trying to find life answers and advice in all sorts of places. Some people look for answers in self-help books. Some seek answers by watching TV talk shows. Some visit a psychic seeking answers from the spirit world. Finally, some people think the answer is at the bottom of a glass bottle or by taking illegal substances.
It's true that we can find answers to our life’s questions through secular means, but are we really going to get an answer that contains true wisdom and proper insight? Where can we go to help us find our life’s purpose? Where can we turn to when we feel confused, lost, or unsure? Well, there are two sources of divine authority for answers to our life’s questions: God and the Holy Bible.
First, God is our ultimate source because He gave us life. God is our Heavenly Father and we can look to Him for purpose. First, we need to trust God and believe in Him. It says in Isaiah 41:10 NIV Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand and also in Psalms 37:4-5 NIV Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.. We can put our complete trust in God because His Written Word says so. God never lies and never goes back on His word.
The Bible also says in Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV, For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. God made us because He loves us and knows what’s best for us. You see, God made us for a purpose. The proof is in Ephesians 2:10 NIV, which says, For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. You see, God’s purpose for our lives is not to selfishly live for ourselves and for our own desires, but to live for Him. God’s purpose is for us to have fellowship and eternal life with Him. God's desire is for us to prosper and to grow spiritually with Him through Christ.
Secondly, we have the Bible as the divine resource to go to for life guidance and direction. Consider it like a massive Holy how-to manual for your life. The Bible says 2 Timothy 3:16 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. Now, knowing that the Bible is divinely inspired is very important because we need to know the One that is instructing us. God gave us the Bible for three reasons:
1. To teach us the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
2. To guide us in living our lives completely for Him.
3. To give us much needed eternal hope.
The Bible also says in Romans 15:4 NIV For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. The Bible is not just a historical book. It is God’s eternal Living Word written specifically for us to help guide us in finding the true meaning and purpose for our lives. God’s Word is packed full of hope, divine wisdom, and solutions that are applicable to every one of our life’s problems.
As I mentioned earlier you can go through secular means to find answers for your life’s questions, which may or may not give you the solution that you need. Or we can refer to God and to the Bible which is our final authority in all life matters. God’s Word will give us all the answers that we need because the Bible is full of divine truth and sound reason. My friend, if you truly don’t know what the purpose or direction is for your life, then look to God for answers (through prayer) by:
1. Asking Him to help you understand what is troubling you.
2. Asking Him to help you biblically find the right answer.
3. Asking Him to give you wisdom and discernment to correctly apply that answer.
The final step in this process is to realize that God is looking out for you because He loves you and knows what’s best for you. AMEN.
