One of the reasons for being excited about Jesus Christ is that he has given us Purpose and Meaning for life. Many people think that their purpose is to accomplish something significant. Meaning means “that which is significant.” What is meaningful? How do you know whether or not you’ve done enough, meditated enough, studied enough, and prayed enough? Meaning also means “that which is important.” How do you define that which is “significant” and “important?” Are significance and importance defined by the popular culture? What is worthy of significance? “Holiness” is a biblical term that encompasses God’s meaningful purpose for our lives. Holiness means “to be set aside for the purpose intended by the Designer.” God did not create us “at random.” Rather he created us intentionally for his holy purpose, “for we are his workmanship, his great work, his poem, his masterpiece… created in Christ Jesus unto good works which he has foreordained that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
Men need focus. Otherwise they don’t know what’s important, significant, and meaningful. “Focus” is the main point of concentration. Men need a focal point for their lives in the midst of the chaos of this world. The silver lining in the midst of confusion is that the world’s chaos causes men to look for order by turning their hearts toward God. Focus also means intent… that which we set our hearts on doing. We need something on which we can focus our attention, intention, and our resolve. Resolve is to make a commitment to accomplish what we have resolved. Resolve focuses our decision to do that which is significant in light of eternity. A legacy is to hand down from generation to generation that which is meaningful in the context of this life. We cannot be distracted from our purpose by a crumbling culture. The most important thing is that we leave a legacy so that those who come after us will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 28:19-20 is Christ’s “great commission” for his followers. “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” This is God’s mission for our lives as men of God and as believers within the household of faith. All men are either missionaries, or a “mission field.” Jesus said of those who would follow after him, “the works that I do shall they do, and greater works shall they do also, because I go unto my Father.” When God calls us to move out, our mission is to move, not to understand the destination. Our focus is to be in the center of God’s will and to walk one step at a time according to the path that he has prepared for us. He may not reveal the destination, but he will reveal the next step. A true disciple is one who is excited and committed to “eat his master’s dust” by following in his master’s footsteps. The purpose for our life will be revealed one step at a time for the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. According to John 15, Jesus Christ has called us for a purpose unto himself… that we should abide in him and he in us and that we would bear much fruit. Our purpose according to Ephesians 1:6 is “That we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he has made us acceptable in the beloved.”
Is your purpose defined by your worldly credentials, material prosperity, accomplishments, and the praise of men? According to Ecclesiastes, these are all vanities of vanities. All are emptiness… These worldly purposes will come to naught… for the things of this earth are temporal. They are here today and gone tomorrow. According to Matthew 6, “lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Our spiritual treasure allows us to know him and to spend time in his presence. He has called us to walk in fellowship with him and with our band of brothers, committed to the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the significance of his crucifixion, resurrection, and his soon return. For in Him we live and move and have our being.
Our purpose when we give ourselves to Jesus Christ, is to bring many Sons of God into God’s glory and that God’s glory will be manifest in our mortal flesh… that we will be the message of God in Christ in us the hope of glory. The purpose of a Man of God is that we who were dead in trespasses and sins have been made righteous because of the sinless sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for sin on our behalf. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf, that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. Our purpose is to be in the middle of the will of God. It doesn’t matter where we are or what we do, as long as we abide in him and he in us. For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ dwelleth in me, and the life that I now live I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave himself for me.
What is the significance of our lives? Our purpose, our value, and our significance is Jesus Christ himself… He is the way, the truth, and the life. Our significance and value is not in who we are but in whose we are… in him we live and move and have our being. According to Ephesians 4:1-3, “Therefore… walk worthy of the calling wherewith we have been called; with all lowliness of mind, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.” As Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear (lovingly reverence, respect, and honor) God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”
May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael