The Meaning of Life

The question has been on my mind for the past three or four years, and I didn't directly realize it until yesterday. The thing that helped me realize it was the answer.

For over four years now I've been studying the book of Philippians off and on. I'm working on a sermon series out of it focused on genuine Christianity, and what the church is really supposed to be. In that time I've read books, and studied other books of the Bible. I'm also reading through it looking for who God is, what He is like according to the Bible.

I took a class a pastor friend of mine was offering last spring/summer, and as part of the class we had to write a personal mission statement for our lives. I've shared mine on here before, as well as many of my findings in Philippians.

Currently I'm preaching through the Gospel of John on Sunday mornings. What we started the series last summer the main idea I was looking at was, "Who is Jesus Christ?" As we've progressed to two thirds of the way through John 8, that question is still there, but to it has been added "Who does He want me to be?"

I've recently finished the book of Genesis, and the last fourteen chapters tell the story of Joseph. And as I was reading this I found two quotes from Rev. Chuck Swindoll that really hit me.

"I need to underscore a foundational fact: God's goal is not to make sure you're happy. No matter how hard it is for you to believe this, it's time to do so. Life is not about your being comfortable and happy and successful and pain free. It's about becoming the man or woman God has called you to be. Unfortunately, we will rarely hear that message proclaimed today. All the more reason for me to say it again: Life is not about you! It’s about God."

"God is not a heavenly bellboy, delivering only pleasurable and comforting things to our door. He doesn't exist to make us happy. We exist to bring Him glory."

All of these things came together this past Saturday, and I've been thinking about them ever since. God owes me nothing. My life has been given to me so that I can glorify Him. I am here to give God the glory He must receive because He is God. That is what I was created to do; that is the sole purpose I have, to give glory to God. And that is the meaning of life.

God created man and woman to exist in relationship with Him, to praise Him and glorify Him. Then sin entered the world, it broke the relationship we have with God, and it cursed all of creation. God sent His Son Jesus to earth. God became a human in the form of Jesus Christ in order to save the world. Jesus came and set the example of how we are to live life, and after living a perfect life, He died on the cross to pay for sin. Three days later He rose again, defeating sin, death, and Hell forever. In Christ the relationship is able to be restored with God. We are able, through His blood, to be rescued and forgiven from sin, and in that we are set free from the bondage of sin and empowered to fulfill the purpose we were created for. Because of the sacrifice Jesus made, because of the life He lived, not only are we able to glorify God, but we have an example to follow.

Philippians 2.5-11 says, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Jesus lived for the glory of God. Jesus who was God did not claim His right to anything, but humbled Himself and died on a cross. If Jesus, who was God, did not demand anything from God, did not claim His right to everything as God, then why do we as humans, as mere mortals, demand the blessings of God as if they are owed to us? God owes me nothing, God owes you nothing! We owe Him everything because He is God.

The meaning of life, is to give glory to the only one who is worth of it. In life we must serve someone, and there are only two options. We can serve God which we were created to do, or we can serve Satan which we do as a result of sin. If we live our lives for ourselves we live for Satan. If we live for Satan we are separated from God by the sin the has a hold of our lives. If we are separate from God we cannot glorify Him. Jesus came to free us from sin. He died so that we could be forgiven and free. In that freedom we can have a life of meaning. That freedom is the only way for meaning because it is the only way to give glory to God.

When I get to the end of life, I don't want people to say that I was a great man, husband, or pastor. I don't want people to marvel at anything I've accomplished. All I want is for people to say, "He was a servant of God." I want people to speak not of me, but of the God I lived for. To God alone be the Glory!

Peace be with you