Living with Purpose

 

When God created each part of the world, He pronounced it good (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25). With the creation of male and female, though, it was very good (Gen. 1:31). In creating humanity, God made us in His image (Gen. 1:26). Our life, then, is not by accident, but by intelligent design. The Psalmist realized this when he wrote, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb” (Psalm 139:13). The fact of creation attests to the value of human existence.

 

Of greater importance than this, however, is the sacrifice offered by Christ for our redemption. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). These words of Jesus emphasize how important we are to Him and the Father. The sacrifice of Jesus was established in the mind of God “before the foundation of the world,” and was accomplished “for you” (1 Pet. 1:20). We are not so much tissue or organic matter in the sight of God! We are loved by Him, on whose behalf He made the greatest sacrifice, showing the greatest example of love (1 John 3:16).

 

Understanding the depth of God's love should help us recognize the importance and value of our existence. No situation is impossible, no problem too great, no condition so desperate, that we should despair of life. In a society that is accustomed to discarding the unwanted (whether of things, unborn life, relationships, and so much else), it’s easy to believe no one cares, that life doesn't matter.  But it does matter!  We are of value by virtue of our Creator, and in Christ, we have eternal value (Col. 3:4).

 

When life feels discouraging, remember the value you have in the eyes of God. Realize the great love exhibited for you in Jesus. Take consolation in the promise of Scripture, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom. 8:31). Everyone is loved by God, everyone is precious to God, everyone can find a life worth living in Christ (John 10:10). Make the spiritual your focus for living, because it alone will endure when all that surrounds is gone. “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38-39).

 

μαράνα θᾶ (1 Cor. 16:22)

 

Robert