What on Earth Am I Here For?

The question of existence – why am I alive? This is not exactly a new question. It was asked thousands of years ago. In fact, Jeremiah asked it in Jeremiah 10:18. It says: “Why was I born? Was it only to have trouble and sorrow, to end my life in disgrace?” Have you ever felt that way? I have. Was I put on this planet just to have heartache, grief and stress?

Arthur Ashley Brilliant says, “My life has a superb cast, but I can’t figure out the plot.” Dr. Hugh Moorhead, Chairman of the Department of Philosophy at Northeastern University once wrote to 250 well-known philosophers, scientist, writers, and intellectuals of the world and asked them “What is the purpose of life?” He then published their responses in a book. It was quite discouraging and depressing. Some of these people offered their best guesses. Some admitted they made something up. Some admitted they had no idea about the purpose of life, and if Dr. Moorhead figured it out, please let them know. Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist once said, “I don’t know the meaning, the purpose of life, but it looks as if something was meant by it.” Isaac Asimov wrote, “As far as I can see, there is no purpose.” Joseph Taylor wrote a book entitled, I Have No Answers to the Meaning of Life and I No Longer Want to Search For Any. That must be a really uplifting book!

Obviously, life without purpose isn’t a life worth living. You see, if you take God out of the equation, you aren’t left with many alternatives. You can try the “mystical approach” – look within and find your purpose within. We’ve all tried a variation of that and it doesn’t work. You could try the “philosophical approach.” If you’re a survivalist – the purpose of life is just to stay alive. If you’re a naturalist – the purpose of life is just to perpetuate itself. Rap artist “Iced T” says, “The only reason we’re here is to reproduce. Just chill out and reproduce. Keep the species alive.” If you’re a hedonist – the purpose of life is pleasure, have fun, party-hearty. Do whatever feels good. If you’re a materialist, life is all about the acquisition of things. The things you own measure your life. You know the problems with that philosophy are that he, who dies with the most toys, still dies. The “mystical approach” and the “philosophical approach,” do not provide satisfying answers to the question of significance. How about the “self-help approach”? You can go to any bookstore and find hundreds of books on making yourself better. They all say the same thing: “You’ve got to invent your purpose.” Find your own purpose in life. Discover your dreams, go after your goals, aim high, believe you can achieve, etc. Now these are all good pieces of advice and they may very well help you become successful. But being a success and knowing your purpose in life is not the same thing. Let me encourage you to pursue the right question: “What on Earth Am I Here For?”

In Proverbs 16:4, we read: “The Lord has made everything for His own purpose." It’s for His purpose you were created. These purposes are: Worship, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry, and Mission. We were created for these five purposes. What I would like you to fully grasp, however, is God’s motive for creating us. Listen to these words from Ephesians 1:4: “Long before He laid down the earth’s foundation, He had us in His mind and settled on us as the focus of His love to be made whole and holy by His love.” Wow! God says He made you to love you! You were created to be loved by God. God is love and God wanted to create something to love and so he created you. He didn’t need you. He wasn’t lonely. But He made you in order to love you. He wanted you. You are here on this planet to be loved by God.

I encourage you to ponder this great truth. Your purpose, your significance in life is TO BE LOVED BY GOD. Let that truth overwhelm you…let God’s grace and mercy flow into you…let God’s uncommon love seize you. What on earth am I here for? You are here (right now, in this moment) to be loved by God.

Pastor Duane