Solomon was a great example of this type of person. King Solomon lived his life in pursuit of the answers to these questions. It was only in his old age, just prior to his death, that he came to an understanding of his purpose in life. You can read about his pursuit for these answers in the book of Ecclesiastes.
However, for others, these answers are known from a young age... Solomon's father, King David is an example of this type of person.
Do you desire to know the purpose of your life? Do you want to know the most fulfilling way to live your life on earth? Let's spend some time to look at events in the lives of King Solomon and King David that will clearly explain these most sought after answers.
And then, finally, lets look at the writings of the Apostle Paul on the subject of the meaning of our lives.
THE SCRIPTURES:
Eccl 12:13-14 (KJV) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
1Sam 17:45-47 (KJV) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.
Col 3:4 (KJV) When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
THE STUDY:
In our quest to find the true meaning of our lives, we will begin by studying the conclusion that Solomon drew from his life-long pursuit to find the purpose of his existence.
In the book of Ecclesiates, we find that Solomon, throughout his life, tried many different pursuits in an attempt to find self-satisfaction and contentment and purpose for his life. He tried everything from the carnal pleasures of this world to wealth, education, the arts, political power, and other selfish pursuits, all to no avail.
Finally, in his old age, after living a wasted life seeking the truth, he finally came to an understanding of his life purpose. Listen to what he came to in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14...
13) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man.
14)For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.
The second example we will look at is King Solomon's father, King David... David is described as a “man after God's own heart” (Acts 13:22) and we see him living out his calling as a very young man facing the giant Goliath (1 Sam 17:).
It is of utmost importance that we understand the motive behind David's actions in the Goliath incident. Why did David choose to face Goliath when no one else in Israel was willing to face the giant? For David it was an issue of God's glory....
1 Samuel 17:45-47
45) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46) This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47) And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle [is] the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.
David did not desire the praise of men, nor did he stand against Goliath to receive worldly wealth or power. He only did it to honor, glorify, and obey his heavenly Father. Bringing honor and glory to God was the purpose of David's existence on earth. He was simply doing what he had been called to do. He was fulfilling God's purpose for his life.
Just as his son Solomon, David came to the conclusion that putting His God's will above his own, by seeking God's will and glory in all things, was the reason he was living on earth.
Finally, let's look at one verse that the Apostle Paul gives us in Colossians 3:4...
4) When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
In this verse Paul makes 3 very important “points to ponder” in our pursuit of the the true meaning of our lives....
Point #1 - “When Christ, who is our life” - We owe Christ our lives.
Paul here clearly declares that Christ, as God, is everything to us. He is our Creator, our Savior and our Sustainer (Acts 17:28). Without Him we truly are nothing (John 15:5). We owe Him our very existence and both the physical and spiritual life that we possess. This is why Paul affirms that living our lives for Him is simply our “reasonable service”, that we owe Him (Roms 12:1)
Point #2 – When Christ... shall appear” - Christ is coming again.
Paul is stating that we can be assured Christ will come back someday. We are simply left on earth to “occupy” until He comes again. What does it mean to “occupy” ? Very simply we are to faithfully use the graces, gifts, talents and opportunities the Lord gives to us during our life on earth. All of us must realize that we all will stand before the Lord someday and give an account of how we lived our lives on earth. (Luke 19:12-27).
Point #3 - “ then shall ye also appear with him in glory. “ - If we are followers of Christ, we can be assured of spending our eternity with Him.
As we seek to fulfill our calling in life, by serving Him, we can rest assured that we have an eternity awaiting us. Living a life that centers upon Christ, is one of the greatest proofs that we have truly been saved by His grace.
Remember, anyone who has been forgiven of their sins has become a “new creature in Christ”. By this we mean that we have a new motive for living, a new set of desires within us and a new eternity awaiting us.
Realizing that the trials of this world are only for a fleeting moment is a great blessing to us all. As we serve Him on earth, we are to always keep in mind we will be spending an eternity with Him. What a glorious promise this is to all of us....
John 14:1-3 (KJV)
1) Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2) In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION:
In our study of the true purpose and meaning to life a few things becomes crystal clear... first, our purpose in life is to glorify and honor our Lord by living a life in submission to His will and ways. Secondly, our Lord is coming again, to take an account of our life and the many opportunities and gifts He has given to us. And finally, if Christ has become the Lord of our life, through our salvation, we can rest assured we will spend eternity in His presence.
For those who are saved, let us be encouraged as we study, understand, and act upon the knowledge we have been given of the purpose of our lives on earth.
For those who have never experienced His grace in their lives, let them come to a knowledge of the importance of submitting to His will and relying upon Christ for their salvation... living a life apart from this is living a wasted, fruitless, and meaningless existence on earth.
If you have any questions about salvation, I have a tab available on my blog that gives in depth information on what salvation is and what you must do to be saved. Please click on this link for more information about salvation.
If you continue to have questions or concerns about your salvation, find a Bible-believing church in your area. The Pastor would be glad to share Christ and the way of salvation with you. If you feel more comfortable communicating through email, you are always welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com.
May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth.
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May the Lord bless your study of His Word. Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.”
Indeed, Christ is our all in all. As that great African theologian St. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless until they find rest in thee (Christ)"
ReplyDeleteThank God for this message. To God alone be the glory!
Conmakhalira,
ReplyDeleteThnak you so much for your comments... you are so right Christ is our all in all! Lord bless you.
Thank You for writing this blog.And above all thank God for Your life.May He,bless You,all Your family and visitors of Your blog.
ReplyDeletemilena
Milena,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind words. May the Lord bless you as you seek to serve Him!
You tied it together perfectly Rob, as usual.
ReplyDeleteOutside of Christ, life has no purpose. People try to live a better life than they had when young, in order to leave a better life for their children . . . but it doesn't happen. We live, we struggle and maybe have a few happy breaks in between struggles, and we die. Outside of Christ, life doesn't make sense.
On the other hand, once we know Christ - once we have been adopted by God and become blood-bought children of the living God, and joint-heirs with Christ - life has meaning and purpose. Life is rewarding.
What a change!
What an amazing God!
After studying His Word for more than 35 years I still am continually amazed at what a Wonderfully kind and gracious Lord He is! Words cannot describe His greatness nor our need to make Him the center of our lives. Lord bless you.
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ReplyDeleteExcellent post and lots of food for thought... We all, at some point, ponder that question... :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind commments. Lord bless you.
ReplyDeleteReading through this study, Pastor Rob, in some ways has already put me into this state of being:
ReplyDelete"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also." I am WITH HIM in my soul RIGHT NOW!
AMEN to that! My hope is that we all can experience a bit of His presence while we are still on this sinful earth. Lord bless you.
ReplyDelete