“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work”. (John 4:34).
One thing we must understand very clearly is that man was made for a purpose, each man has a purpose and each must discover his own purpose in life and work at it as all his life depended on it.
If you like you can call it man’s ultimate examination on earth.
Man was placed on earth to solve problems and subdue obstacles as an agent of God. He is not here to just make money, make merry and then die.
Apostle Paul on his life examination said his determination to achieve purpose with a focus on eternity and resurrection was deeper than the superficial life of merrymaking. Purposeful living was always bigger than materialistic living without God.
“If after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is there to me, if the dead rise not? “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (1 Corinthians 15:32).
Life’s divine examination is deeper than material living- it’s spiritual at a deeper level.
We all must dig deep into ourselves in God to find out what and how to achieve our divine purpose.
Why is this so important? Because “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble”. (Proverb 16:4).
God has a purpose for every person’s life (Jer. 29:11), but we must all find and walk in that purpose because we are moral agents with the ability to choose freely (Deut. 30:19).
God having given man the power to determine his own destiny and eternal future has two eternal destines once his earthly examination is over.
And based on how he responds to the divine call for purposeful living in Jesus Christ he will either spend eternity with Jesus or eternity away from God with the devil in utter darkness and destruction. (Mathew 8:12).
This is what makes life too precious to waste without responding to the call of the gospel to do away with our sinful life in exchange for Jesus as our life. This is what makes living for Jesus the most purposeful life.
A life without Jesus is a rudderless life spinning out of the will of God. Jesus said emphatically: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”
But be warned: a life intentional about living his purpose for Jesus will not take half measure of commitment from us but the whole of us; it requires total focus; it’s a life devoid of distractions and so strong that a philosopher said:
“ If a man has not discovered something that he will die for, he isn’t fit to live”.
Death here goes beyond physical death but requires that a man who has truly found his purpose for in God dies to the distraction of sin, immorality, wanton materialism and to live a life worthy of divine commendation.
The Apostle Paul, a man who found Jesus and who pursued Him with a fierce single-mindedness said: “ I assure you, believers, by the pride which I have in you in [your union with] Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily [I face death and die to self]. (1 Corinthians 15:21).
Paul’s resolve to die to self-indulgence, self-aggrandizement, and selfishness and not life only focusing on self-preservation draws its strength from his resolve to live a life with an eye for eternal reward, knowing that to gain eternity he must focus all his attention on this side of the world on the ministry Jesus had bequeathed to him.
To this end, Paul affirmed: “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).
The greatest philosopher of all time and the Son of the Most High, Jesus Christ knew his purpose as the Redeemer of the fallen world and he lived his life with a singleness of purpose to achieve this vital purpose during his stay on earth. (John 4:34).
While under inquisition from Pilate about his Kingship Jesus said: “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Beloved, to pass our ultimate examination on earth before answering to God in eternity we must listen to Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior. Nothing less will do and not even half-measure commitment is good enough to pass this ultimate life’s examination.
Jesus wants all of our lives because he has paid the supreme price for us by dying in our place to avert for us the eternal damnation that we deserve for our sins.
How can man find purpose? By asking the One who set out His purpose for mankind, God himself and this is why prayer is the key to finding purpose. A prayerless life is a purposeless life.
If you feel purposeless, pray and say “Father in the name of Jesus, show me your ultimate purpose for my life. Help me to pass with flying colors, life’s ultimate examination in Jesus’ name.
You may ask how are you sure this prayer will work for you? It will work because we have an assurance in the word of God which says: “ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5).
Readings
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Matthew 5:13-16
