“He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.” – 2 Corinthians 5:15 NLT
Imagine receiving a birthday gift from a friend known for giving only the best. You’ve never seen anything like it before, and honestly, you don’t know what to do with it. Unsure, you place it on a shelf as decoration. Then one day, your friend visits. “You’ve been using it wrong,” they say. And as they explain what it was made for, everything suddenly makes sense.
Nothing is made without a purpose—not a spoon, song, or soul. If man, like every other created thing, has a purpose, how tragic would it be to live an entire life doing everything except what you were created to do? That’s why we must understand our reason for existence and live accordingly. God created us, which means our purpose is found in Him, not outside Him. So, what then is God’s purpose for mankind?
Firstly, we were created for intimacy with God. From the beginning, we see God’s desire for closeness in how He related with Adam and Eve in Eden (Genesis 3:8). Even after the fall, which created a barrier between humanity and God, Christ died and rose again to restore that relationship and reconcile us to the Father.
Now, through Jesus, we have free and direct access to Him (John 15:4–5, Hebrews 10:19–22, 1 John 4:13). If your relationship with God weren’t deeply important, Christ wouldn’t have died to restore it.
Furthermore, we were made to worship God. Beyond the heartfelt songs and raised holy hands, worship is a lifestyle. To worship means our lives should reflect and reveal God’s glory in our thoughts, words and actions.
This is the life we have been saved to live. We were reconciled to God so our relationship with Him and our worship of Him can flourish (2 Corinthians 5:15), and we’re called to extend that reconciliation to others (2 Corinthians 5:18).
Living purposefully requires us to make God’s purpose our compass. Therefore, we must constantly filter our choices in every expression of our lives (marriage, career, friendships, etc.).
Dear friend, to live purposefully is to live with eternity in view. You are not here by chance but to reflect God, relate with Him, and reconcile others to Him.
Bible Reading Plan: 1 Kings 10-11; 2 Peter 2:20-3:18